


Storied Champions

by PyronormalSimplicity



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: All memories, Everybody makes fun of Revali, Gen, Mild Angst, Mild Language, Minor Swearing, Slice of Life, Some light sexual themes, Some memories are out of order, Spoilers, What Could Have Been, pre-game, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 49,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28711137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyronormalSimplicity/pseuds/PyronormalSimplicity
Summary: A group of six Champions is only strong as their weakest Link. Fortunately, their bonds with each other are unbreakable.Just a "simple" retelling of all the memories with some extra fluff, character interactions, and what-could-have-been's thrown in.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi.
> 
> This is just a little side project I cooked up while playing through BOTW. I'll get back to my other works eventually, but right now, I'm in a Zelda craze. Enjoy!
> 
> I also want to take a moment to thank MaryDragon for writing her wonderful work, "Calm Waters Run Deep." Her work inspired mine in a lot of ways and you might even see that in the first few chapters. Here's a link to her work. Go check it out: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10425738/chapters/23019495

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda travels to the Rito Village to meet the first potential pilot of the Divine Beasts

Zelda could have sworn the tips of her ears had frozen off when her horse finally climbed the crest of the worn-down, snow-covered hill for her to see, through the snow and wind, a rough hut made of logs. The dim orange light of a campfire contrasted sharply with the white of the world around it, and Zelda couldn’t help fantasizing, even for a moment, how nice it would be to plop herself down next to the campfire, peel off the thick Rito down coat from her shoulders and warm her hands over the flames.

A quick glance behind her caused her to feel a pang of sympathy for the two knights riding on horses of their own a few meters behind her. Unlike her, they wore no such Rito down coats. They wore only their steel-plated armor, a few extra cloth wrappings around their hands and face, and nothing else. The Knights of Hyrule were made of stern stuff indeed. These two knights had been hand-chosen by the King himself to escort her safely across Hyrule in her quest to find potential pilots for the Divine Beasts. At least, that was their _official_ responsibilities. Zelda knew they were also responsible for keeping her in line, to make sure she was free of distractions as they journeyed through Hyrule. During one of the few times she was allowed out of the castle and not on a journey to one of the sacred springs to help awaken her power, she would be both guarded, and under guard.

Marcus was the younger of the two knights, though he was still older than Zelda by a rather significant margin. His skin was almost as pale as Zelda’s, but that was where their similarities stopped. Like most of the other knights, he was devoted to his duty first and foremost, but from what Zelda could tell from their few scant conversations around the campfire at night, Marcus was as anomaly. Unlike most of the other knights Zelda had glimpsed in Hyrule Castle, Marcus was rather quiet and kept to himself most of the time, though his swordsmanship more than made up for all the awkward silences during their few scant conversations around the campfires at night.

Hal, on the other hand, was his opposite. While he was still a man of few words, a characteristic Zelda had observed to be the case in even the most vocal of knights due to their duties, Zelda had no trouble holding a conversation with him. His parents were from Lurelin Village and that much was evident in his appearance and accent, as slight as it was.

Both usually kept to themselves or talked to each other in low, inaudible murmurs when they were on their long horse rides through the land. When asked, they would always tell her that the topics of their conversation were of no importance to the princess and that she should focus on the task at hand, which always frustrated her.

Her task was to find four champions who would pilot the four Divine Beasts, and a fat load of Hinox dung was it going to do her to “focus on the task at hand” when they were limited to traveling on horseback! Zelda had grown up in a castle all her life. The one time she was allowed out of the castle, away from under her father's reproachful gaze, and he designates not one, but _two_ knights to babysit her! And they won't even do her the common courtesy of being social!

Zelda closed her eyes and tried to push those thoughts away. Now was not the time to ruminate on her feelings regarding the situation. Now was the time to focus on recruiting the Rito Champion.

From what the village elder told her, Revali was their mightiest warrior, unmatched in both archery and flying. His eyes were sharper than steel, and his archery as accurate as it was flashy and stylish. Apparently, he could hit up to ten targets in less than five seconds and was working on a skill that would “push all of the Rito to new, uncharted heights,” according to the village elder.

“However,” the elder, a large, owl-like looking Rito said, “he can a bit…presumptuous at times. Forgive us, princess, but he is still young by our kind’s standards, but do not let his words pluck your feathers too much. He may sound overconfident at times, but I can assure you that he is one of the few boasters who can back his claims.”

Whether he was the Rito’s greatest warrior or not, Zelda didn’t care. While that would certainly be a bonus, having such a powerful ally piloting a Divine Beast, if Revali refuses or is unable to harness the power of Divine Beast Vah Medoh, Zelda would have no choice but to look for another candidate or return home empty-handed, and she had no desire to face the King’s glowering fury at her failure in court yet again. She would just have to hope that Revali would be up to the task.

When she opened her eyes again, a dark object on the ground next to the cliff edge caught her eye. With a start, Zelda realized that it was a dark-feathered Rito, crouched with his wings splayed out on both sides of him. To her concern, the Rito seemed like he was hurt. Even from her horse, she could see his chest heaving and his breath wavering in the cold Hebra air.

Zelda silently got off her horse and slowly walked over to check on the Rito. Before she could open her mouth to ask if he was alright, the Rito slightly shuffled his wings and Zelda was almost blown back as an impossibly strong updraft sprung into existence before her. By the time the wind died down enough for her to crack her eyes open, the Rito was gone.

“What—where did he go?” Zelda said to no one in particular, looking around wildly.

Behind her, armor jangled as Hal pointed up into the sky. “Princess, up there!”

Zelda looked at where Hal was pointing and widened her eyes as she saw the Rito soaring through the air, in the middle of a whirlwind. Zelda’s eyes widened even further as the Rito suddenly banked to the left before being flung out of the updraft altogether, shedding feathers as he fell like a comet.

He landed hard and Zelda couldn’t help but cringe at the heavy _thump_ where the Rito landed. She jogged over to the Rito, leaving her guards behind to deal with her horse. Fortunately, by the time she was within calling distance, the Rito had managed to pick himself back up to his feet (talons?) and was muttering to himself.

“…must push myself harder,” the Rito muttered past the obvious pain in his bones.

The Rito suddenly jerked his head up with a gasp and looked in at Zelda standing a few meters away, despite her having not made a single sound since dismounting her horse.

“You know, your highness…it’s rude to eavesdrop,” the Rito said as he straightened up.

“My apologies,” Zelda said, stepping forward. “I was told that I could find Revali here, and—”

“It’s _Master_ Revali,” the Rito said, turning away. “And don’t forget it.”

It was only then that Zelda realized the truth of the village elder’s words. Revali was indeed young, maybe not even that much older than her. His voice still carried the remnants of boyhood. Even the bow on his back dwarfed him in size.

“Yes, my apologies,” Zelda said again. “Master Revali, I went to the village and was told that I could find you here.”

Revali stared into the flight range for a few moments before he turned to look at Zelda.

“You have need of me,” he said. “To defeat Calamity Ganon.”

Zelda nodded.

Revali closed his eyes and bowed his head for a few seconds before opening them again. With a slight chuckle, he said, “To slay the beast once and for all…It will be my great pleasure.”

Zelda felt a smile breaking out on her face as she stepped forward. “Thank you, Revali! If we work together, I’m certain we’ll be able to defeat—”

“However!”

Revali interrupted her with a wave of his wing. Zelda blinked in surprise but let her voice fade as Revali turned around to face the cliff edge once again. He crouched down, and with that same shuffling motion of his wings, he was suddenly flung into the air by a great updraft of wind.

Zelda watched, her mouth agape as she watched Revali spiral gracefully into the air. Revali dipped for a moment before regaining control and even used the change in momentum to propel himself even further into the air. By then, he was too far up for Zelda to make anything of him besides a black speck.

Suddenly, the black speck grew larger as Revali dived into the chasm, bow strung with three bomb arrows. It was only then that three explosions rang out from the chasm walls. Revali was a blur when he spiraled around the spire in the center of the chasm. The explosions always followed after Revali had already passed the targets, and when the rumbling and smoke of the explosions stopped, Zelda looked up to see Revali making a swift but extraordinarily graceful landing on one of the handrails lining the hut’s balcony.

“I know I play the biggest part in helping that, ahem…that little knight with the darkness-sealing sword, correct?” he asked sardonically, clasping a wing to his chest before rapping his head in a mock salute. “Well, if he loses his confidence after seeing _me_ in action, _don’t_ come crying to me.”

Zelda was still too busy staring at the young Rito staring triumphantly back at her to make any sort of comprehensible reply.

“You… you just…that was fifteen targets you just destroyed! In less than five seconds!” Zelda stammered, flabbergasted. “How did—how could you—”

“Was it really only fifteen?” Revali asked, glancing back at the canyon. “Last week, I was barely able to break past thirteen, and I had to remind myself I had an audience today for me to do as well as I did just now.” He sighed. “No matter. Guess I just have to push myself even harder tomorrow.”

When the girl didn’t respond, Revali rolled his eyes and looked at her. She was younger, younger than even himself, from the looks of it, but then again, he knew little of Hylians. Her mouth was still open in a mixture of awe and amazement, and rightly so!

She did, after all, just witness a Rito Master make mincemeat of over a dozen targets in less than half that time. She should be in awe and amazement to be in his presence! Still, to be able to keep track of so many targets at once and to count the seconds in between? It takes either a great warrior or a great scholar to be so attentive, and while Revali certainly didn’t wish to call the girl unfit for battle, she was most definitely _not_ a warrior.

So despite his efforts to maintain his smirk on his beak, he couldn’t help but turn part of that smirk into a soft smile. He could see the determination in her. He had yet to meet an outsider who could properly appreciate his achievements in all their glory, and the only one who did barely was barely older than a chick.

He would never admit it, but it was…admirable, in a way. She did, after all, travel across all of Hyrule and brave the bitter Hebra mountains just to come see him. It reminded Revali of himself, in a way, her determination and dedication to her craft.

“Alright, alright,” he said, raising his wings. “Normally, I’m not one to fluff my feathers unnecessarily, but I have many more drills to fly through today. Care to see them in action?”

Zelda gasped and clasped her hands together. “Wow, I would love to! I’ve only heard tales of a Rito master in books and scrolls, but—”

“Princess.”

Both Zelda and Revali turned to look at the knights. Hal was still trying to calm both Zelda’s and his horses down, but Marcus stood stiffly at attention, a hand on the pommel of his sword.

“Princess, do not forget your duty,” Marcus said, his deep voice contrasting his youthful appearance. “Your responsibility is to designate a pilot for Divine Beat Vah Medoh, not to watch a Rito master exterminate practice targets. Need I remind you that we have a time limit?”

 _Way to clip someone's wings and ground them,_ Revali thought as Zelda sighed.

“Yes, of course,” she said.

Gone was the wonder and awe. Gone was the amazement. Instead, it was replaced by sullen silence and the look that a terrible, insurmountable task had been loaded onto one’s shoulders.

“Master Revali. On behalf of the royal court of Hyrule, I humbly ask you for your cooperation in the battles to come. Divine Beat Vah Medoh will play a crucial part in stopping the Calamity, and you are the only one who can—”

“Yes, yes, I’m aware,” Revali interrupted. “I know you saw Medoh and naturally thought that the greatest warrior in Rito history would be a worthy candidate to be its pilot. I’ve gathered that much at least. No need to recite your whole speech. I accept your proposition, and I would be honored to seal away the Calamity.”

Zelda bit her tongue but wisely swallowed her words. “Yes,” she said curtly. “Of course. Thank you very much, Master Revali. If you must excuse us, we must immediately make preparations to travel to the Gerudo desert to spot out another potential candidate.”

Revali tilted his head questioningly. “So soon?” he asked. Sighing, he said, “Very well then. I can’t exactly tell the crown _princess_ what to do, now can I?”

“I…I suppose not,” Zelda said hesitatingly. “But as the designated pilot of Divine Beast Vah Medoh, you are now required to travel to Hyrule Castle and report to the king of your newfound position.”

“Ah yes, the king,” Revali murmured, stroking the bottom of his beak with one of his wings. “King Rhoam something-blasphemous Hyrule?”

The light-skinned knight loosened his broadsword in its scabbard. “Watch your tongue, Rito,” he snarled. “The King does not take kindly to—”

“It’s alright Marcus,” Zelda said. She motioned for the knight to stand down. “I’m sure he didn’t mean anything. My father’s name can be a bit…much on the tongue.” Then, muttering, “As well as other things besides his name.”

“So what, princess?” Revali asked. “You want me to fly to Hyrule Castle, report to the King, and just _wait_ while you and your…eh, _guards_ trod all the way across Hyrule on _horseback?_ With the recent rise of monster sightings, you’re just _begging_ ”

“That was the plan,” Zelda admitted, looking down at her feet. “But we would— _I_ would be honored if you were to join us.”

“Princess,” Marcus said sternly. “You know what the King’s orders were, and—”

“Quiet!” Zelda hissed back.

“You know, there’s no point trying to whisper,” Revali said smugly, tapping the side of his head. “Rito hearing. Quite good. You should give it a try.”

“Forgive us Revali, we—”

“ _Master_ Revali.”

“ _Master_ Revali,” Zelda corrected, doing her best not to roll her eyes or give away any indication of her irritation. “I apologize for talking behind your back like this, but—”

“The royal family of Hyrule does not rule over the Rito, mind you,” Revali said, clearing his throat for dramatic effect. “We Rito are rather— _ahem—_ free-spirited, let’s say. _Your_ king may want me to report to him immediately, but how will he know you’ve made contact with me if I’m not there to tell him? Plus,” he added. “I’m…not too keen on the idea of sending a little girl off the Hebra mountain range on a journey that could take weeks, if not months to complete.”

Zelda was sorely tempted to say “ _Wow, the great Master Revali showing a conscience,”_ but decided against it.

Nodding his head as if it’s already been decided, Revali stepped forward and softly landed on the ground, a gentle fluff wind cushioning his fall. “So I shall accompany you on this…journey of yours.”

“…if you will have me, of course,” he added as an afterthought.

Zelda looked back at the two knights behind her. Marcus' stern face gave her a harsh _no_ , but Hal simply shrugged.

“We would be honored for you to grace us with your presence,” Zelda said, beaming. “Thank you.”

Revali turned around and walked towards the wooden hut. “Yes, yes, no need to worship me or anything,” he said, nonchalantly waving a wing behind him. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes to meet me at the village or else I’ll be leaving without you.”

Revali stopped when he failed to hear the crunching of footsteps in the snow. “I don’t see you walking!” he called sardonically

Zelda bit her lip but motioned to her guards. As they began their long ride back down the mountain, Zelda brought out a small journal and knapsack she always kept inside her knapsack.

* * *

_Journal Entry # 84_

_I finally managed to make contact with the Rito champion today. His name is Revali, and according to everyone else in the village, he’s the best warrior the Rito have seen in centuries, if not millenniums. I’ve seen him in action, and I’m glad to say that he lives up to his reputation._

_It still eludes me how he managed to destroy over 15 targets in less and 5 seconds. The speed and accuracy needed for such a trick would destroy a normal Hylian, but it should come at no surprise that the bird-like Rito are used to pushing their bodies like that._

_Still though…just because they are used to pushing their bodies to such an extreme degree doesn’t mean they should. I saw one of Revali’s whiffed attempts at practicing his art, and it’s clear that he never seems satisfied. He always has to push further, to try harder, to do better the next time he does it._

_It’s…admirable. At first, I thought he would be some sort of boastful or arrogant warrior whose title far surpassed his actual skill, but it’s the reverse. If anything, his title doesn’t do enough to highlight his skill._

_“Rito Warrior” doesn’t sound grand enough, and I know for a fact that it definitely doesn’t sound grand enough for him. Though our introductions were brief, I can tell that he’s something of a braggart. He never shuts up about his skill and it always feels like he’s talking down to people he doesn’t consider worthy, which, added with his narcissism, makes it feel like everybody._

_That being said, I’m afraid it’s something I’ll have to put up with, for the time being. Braggart he may be, but he is no doubt a skilled archer and a fine pilot for Medoh. Plus, it’s difficult to dislike someone for being a braggart when one can obviously see that they have worked to earn such a renowned title._

_If only I could be as determined and dedicated as him. I’ve spent almost my entire life trying to awaken this sealing power, but I have nothing to show for it. I’m secretly glad that Revali decided to join us on our journey. Not only will he make it safer for us to travel, but it would allow me the opportunity to observe him, to see if I could take note of some of his practice regimes and adapt them to make it more suitable for the daunting task that lies ahead of me_

_As of now, my plans are to travel to Gerudo desert to try and convince my mother and I’s longtime friend, Urbosa, to take on the role of piloting Divine Beast Vah Naboris. I doubt she’ll refuse, but it would be nice to free myself of these knights, if only for a little while._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Revali joining their group, Zelda travels to Gerudo City to recruit the second potential pilot, Chief Urbosa of the Gerudo people

“Honestly, I’m surprised you Hylians managed to make your way all the way to Rito village with the speed you’re traveling!”

Zelda and Hal sighed as Marcus tightened his grip on his horse’s reins. It had only been a day since they departed Rito village and started their long trek to the Gerudo desert, but Revali was already starting to become near insufferable. Zelda didn’t particularly mind his constant needling—after all, she was used to being put down—but she could tell that Marcus and Hal would gladly pluck the Rito archer of all his feathers if she looked away for even a second.

Revali was currently gliding high above them, lazily circling around them like a wasteland vulture. It had taken him a surprisingly long time to pack, considering how they were already at the stable outside Rito Village before Revali finally touched down in front of them. They had offered to take out a horse for him but he had declined—none too sarcastically, of course.

Zelda felt rather than heard Marcus stiffen in his saddle as Revali continued to prattle on about Goddess knows what.

“…shoot him down myself,” she heard him mutter.

“Get a hold of yourself, Marc,” Hal muttered. “As soon as the princess is inside Gerudo Town, we don’t have to babysit both of them for the time being.”

That stung. Zelda felt her cheeks burn as she glanced up towards Revali. _Babysitting?_ She knew, of course, that it was more than likely slang for simply escorting her but the connotation still stuck. They saw her as a child still, a child who would run off and get into trouble at every opportunity. They didn’t see her as a princess, or even as a person. Just another task to take care of on their invisible checklist.

Zelda took her frustration out on her horse’s reins by wringing them as tightly as she could around one of her fingers until it started to turn blue.

“You know, princess, I was surprised to see that the king sent you instead of a royal emissary. I thought with that whole praying thing you have going on, you would be a lot busier. Not saying I’m not honored to have the princess herself show up at my doorstep, but I expected you to be a lot more…dedicated to your praying.”

Zelda closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten before trusting herself to speak.

“Hal, how many days do you expect us to be traveling for before we arrive at Gerudo Town?” she asked, being careful not to let her words waver. She was a princess, _not_ a child.

“Assuming we keep traveling at our current pace and don’t run into any delays, we should be there within two or three days,” Hal replied. “Of course, we could always return to the castle and relieve our horses, that would—”

“That’s enough,” Zelda interrupted gently. “Time is of the essence, is it not? We don’t have time to return to the castle. We’ll just have to hope we run into stables on our way there and hope their horses are well-rested.”

“Of course, princess.”

* * *

Later that night, when they decided to settle down for the evening, Zelda found herself staring reproachfully at the half-filled pages of her journal. She had been planning on writing another entry today, but she just couldn’t stay focused long enough for her to put her thoughts into words.

She spent another minute staring at the empty pages and twirling her pen before she looked up at the orange glow of the campfire. Marcus and Hal were seated around it, as per usual, talking about who knows what in their hushed tones. It must have been good since Marcus was smiling for once. To her surprise, she had been expecting Revali to be talking with them. She thought that with how arrogant and self-centered he was at times, he would take every opportunity to rattle off another one of his countless achievements. Instead, she spied the edges of his tail feather peeking out from behind a tree, far from the warm orange glow of the fire.

She was still bundled in the fancy snowquil coat she had worn when she first met Revali, but she could still feel the chill in her bones, even though she was only a few feet away from the edges of the light. Revali was fully engulfed in the shadows, and despite the puffs of air he exhaled from his beak, he showed no sign of being cold.

Zelda pursed her lips together as she looked down at the one sentence she was able to jot down.

_If we are to defeat Calamity Ganon, we should learn how to work effectively together as a team._

Zelda looked back up at Revali. His wings were crossed, which told her that he wanted to be alone, but the sullen and dare-she-say _wishful_ glances towards Marcus and Hal conversing around the fire made it clear that deep down, he also wished to be involved in their conversation, but for whatever reason, saw no reason to try and reach out to them.

 _Well, if he won’t reach out, maybe I can_ , Zelda thought to herself as she set aside her journal, got up, and walked over to where Revali was loitering.

He didn’t need to turn his head to look at her when she stopped in front of him. Like all Rito, his eyes were on the sides of his head, perfect for detecting movement even if they couldn’t directly see them.

“Princess,” he said simply, not bothering to say anything else.

“Revali,” Zelda greeted.

“It’s _Master_ Revali,” he reminded her. Sighing, he said, “How many times do I have to keep telling you Hylians this, it’s—”

“I know how you’re feeling right now.”

Revali slightly turned his head as his eyes narrowed. “What?”

Zelda clasped her hands nervously in front of her as she stepped forward. All of a sudden, it was a lot more difficult to talk.

“I said I know what you’re feeling,” she repeated. “How it feels to be special. How it feels to be the only one of your kind.”

Revali narrowed his eyes at her. “No, you don’t,” he said. “You don’t know how it feels at all.”

He probably didn’t mean for it to come off so harshly, but Zelda couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise at the sudden hostility in his voice. She recovered quickly though, and cleared her throat.

“I think I do,” she said, a little bit more gently this time. “You’re the only Rito who I’ve met so far who’s been able to create an updraft of their own. Likewise, I’m the only Hylian you will ever likely meet who will be able to say they know how it feels to be completely and utterly alone.”

“And why is that?” Revali asked, though there was less bite in his words.

Zelda stuttered for a moment before answering. Truth be told, she hadn’t expected to get this far into a conversation with the sardonic Rito, nor did she have an answer in the unlikely chance that he did respond.

“Eh—because I’m supposed to be the one who seals away the darkness with my powers,” she managed to stammer out. “I’m the only Hylian of my kind and as such, all the responsibility falls onto me. Likewise, you’re the only Rito who’s been able to confidently say that you’re the best of the best and that—”

Revali interrupted her by scoffing derisively. “Please, princess, I’m not the ‘best of the best.’ I _am_ the best, and as the one representing my people, I’m responsible for making sure the Rito are a force to be reckoned with.”

His eyes narrowed as he stroked his beak. “Why are you really here, princess?” he asked accusingly. “I know it’s not to talk about me. I can do that any time of the day. No…you’re after something of mine—you _want_ something from me.”

“No!” Zelda hurriedly denied, shaking her head. “No, no! I’m not trying to take anything from you. I just thought that you looked rather lonely—”

Revali scoffed again.

“—and since I was feeling rather lonely myself,” Zelda continued, shooting a pointed glance behind her shoulder at the campfire where Marcus and Hal continued chatting, “ I thought it would be…conducive for Hyrule’s future if we were to understand each other a little bit better on a more…personal level.”

“You want to be my friend,” Revali stated flatly. Then, to Zelda’s surprise, he began to laugh. In fact, he laughed so hard he doubled over and had to use the tree to support himself. Zelda heard the shuffling of armor behind her as Marcus and Hal turned towards them, equally as surprised at Revali’s sudden show of mirth.

Zelda could feel a smile of her own growing on her face when Revali suddenly stopped laughing and stood straight up, using his taller height to glare down at her. Zelda suddenly felt very small in the Rito’s shadow.

“Who do you think I am?” Revali asked. “I’m the Rito Champion. I’ve been chosen to pilot a Divine Beast. As far as _I’m_ concerned, I find the whole concept of trying to get all ‘buddy-buddy’ with each other to be quite pointless.”

He jabbed a finger into Zelda’s shoulder. “Tell me, _princess_ , did you really think that the reason you’ve been sent out to find these pilots was so you could have a friend for once? I’m here for one thing and one thing only. I’m here to seal away Calamity Ganon and to go down in history as _the_ Rito Champion who singlehandedly saved all of Hyrule. I’m not here to be friends and play dollhouse with you. I’m here for myself, so _don’t_ think that just because I’m working with you that it automatically makes us friends. It doesn’t. Get it?”

Zelda simply pursed her lips and tightened her hands into fists before turning on her heel and walking deftly away. Revali rolled his eyes as he watched the tent flap close behind her.

“What’re _you_ looking at?” Revali jeered when the two knights shot him questioning looks. The two men hurriedly returned to their conversation by the campfire as Revali returned to his post to look out over the surrounding landscape.

Yes, he could be a little harsh sometimes, but what he said was the truth. The way he saw it, the truth hurts. There’s no point in trying to sugarcoat it or dampen the blow, and in this case, the truth was that he had a duty—a duty to Hyrule, to his people, and to himself. If Zelda really thought they were making a friend group, then she was sorely mistaken.

 _Hylians_. _So overly dramatic._

* * *

Zelda didn’t say a word to Revali the next day, nor the day after that. On their third day of travel, however, she finally approached Revali again and asked him to join her in a “staff meeting,” she called it. He had rolled his eyes at first but grudgingly perched himself on the edges of the campfire that night.

“As you know, tomorrow, we will be approaching the edges of the Gerudo Desert,” she stated calmly. “Hal, Marcus, thank you for your services so far but for this part of our journey, I’m afraid there’s little you can do to fulfill your duty while I am in negotiant with the Gerudo. As you know, the Gerudo are very proud of their culture and will do everything they can in their power to enforce their tradition, especially the one barring men from entering Gerudo City.”

“That seems a bit problematic,” Revali noted dryly.

“Yes,” Zelda agreed, almost absentmindedly. “Luckily, I’ve managed to make some preparations with the troop garrison stationed near the city. They shall be providing me with two maidens at a marketplace on our way to the city. From what I know, both of them are well-trained in the Sheikah arts. That, and the fact that since almost all of the people in the city are trained warrior, it would mean that I would be much safer inside the city walls than outside it, especially since there have been reports of increased Yiga activity in the area.”

“Yiga?” Hal asked. “You mean those blasted sand cowards who vanish every time they get defeated?”

“The very same,” Zelda said, nodding. “They haven’t done anything yet, but my presence in Gerudo City may be enough for them to make a move.”

“Then what about us?” Revali asked. “Are we just supposed to sit outside the walls, waiting for you, sulking and pouting the whole time, knowing that we could wake up the next day with our throats slit from Yiga Assassins?”

“Yes, though I doubt they’re after you,” Zelda replied. “If anything, they would probably ignore you in favor of me, which I’m sure is something you’re not accustomed to, Master Revali.”

Revali could have sworn he saw a slight smirk on the girl’s lips as Hal shuffled uncomfortably.

“What about us?”

“The two of you will camp outside the walls. In your case, Revali, only you have permission to sulk and pout, though I fail to see how that is any different from your normal activities.”

Hal stifled a chuckle behind a cough and even Marcus couldn’t help but crack a small smile as the Rito sputtered indignantly. Obviously, he was unused to humor at his own expense.

“Worry not,” Zelda said sympathetically. “I shall ask servants to send you adequate supplies and clothing while we’re there. If everything goes well, we shouldn’t spend more than two or three days in the city.”

“ _You_ shouldn’t spend more than a few days in the city,” Revali said crossly. “ _We’ll_ be sitting outside, preening our feathers while you engage in pleasantries inside.”

“My dear Revali, it sounds like you wish you could enter Gerudo City!” Zelda said, her voice oozing with fake sympathy. “As entertaining as it would be to watch you try, there _is_ a reason why Gerudo City is also known as the Forbidden City.”

Revali rolled his eyes and crossed his arms before turning his tail feathers towards the campfire. “Whatever. I have better things to do anyways.”

The smile on Zelda’s face was anything but genuine. “Yes. Of course. I’m sure you do, Master Rito.”

Revali narrowed his eyes at her. Only a drunk Goron would be able to miss the fake cheeriness in her words, and even then, the Goron would have to be nearly comatose.

“What’re you doing?” he asked suspiciously. “You seem awfully pleased about something.”

“Am I?” Zelda asked. “Maybe it’s because I’m delighted at the thought of spending some time with the Gerudo Chief inside the city while you, _Master_ Revali, get to spend almost three days outside. I heard the desert gets unbearably hot during the day and freezing cold at night. I hope your feathers are insulated.”

“When does the chief expect us to arrive?” Marcus asked, ever the professional.

“Early afternoon,” Zelda answered. “My plan is to arrive at the city around noon, meet Urbosa in the afternoon, and spend the next few days formally inducting her as Naboris’ pilot.”

“Wh—you didn’t induct me into anything!” Revali spluttered. “You asked me to pilot Medoh, I said yes, and then we just left! What’s so special about the Gerudo pilot?”

“For one, Revali,” Zelda said patiently, talking like she would to a small child, “the Gerudo are a very traditional people. They don’t see something as done until everyone can formally agree on it. Secondly, if I recall correctly, it was _you_ who wanted to start traveling as soon as possible. And finally, the chief and I have a very…close relationship with each other. It would be remiss of friends to _not_ formally congratulate each other, or did you forget that being friends with the princess could have some unforeseen benefits.”

Revali crumbled something into his beak but what he said was unintelligible.

“That’s what I thought,” Zelda asked, smirking.

“If you plan on arriving at the city by noon, we should all head to sleep soon,” Hal said, rubbing his chin.

“Agreed,” Marcus said. “I’ll take first watch.”

Zelda simply nodded but made her way to her tent. Revali continued glowering but eventually perched himself on top of a rock pillar nearby. Suddenly, keeping away from the princess seemed like a very good idea.

* * *

They made a quick stop at the Kara Kara Bazaar to pick up the two Sheikah maidens who would accompany Zelda into the city. Their names were Illo and Judli. Neither of them stood out much to Zelda in terms of appearance or personality, but then again, they _were_ part of a clan of warriors who secretly serve the royal family. It would make sense for them to be…unordinary.

From there, their party made their way to Gerudo City. The trip was relatively short and uneventful, though Revali had almost fallen a hundred feet when he reported that he saw no signs of Yiga around them and that “no, he was perfectly fine and was in no need of a waterskin and that he would manage just fine on his own.”

Zelda forced him to take the waterskin.

As planned, they arrived at the gates of Gerudo City in the early afternoon. As their group approached the gates, the two Gerudo guards slammed their spears into the ground and crossed the shafts over each other, blocking the gate.

“Halt!” one of them shouted. “Who goes there?”

“My name is Princess Zelda,” Zelda replied formally. “I have been sent by the King Rhoam to speak with Chief Urbosa.”

“And do you have proof that you are indeed who you say you are?”

Zelda blinked in surprise. “I—excuse me?”

“The Yiga have taken to impersonating travelers recently,” the other guard explained. “Unless you are able to prove that you and your party are not Yiga, you will not be allowed inside the city.”

Zelda tried stammering for an answer as the guards’ eyes narrowed. One of them tightened their grip on their spear as Zelda looked back at their group for help. Everyone was at a loss for words. Evidently, none of them had expected this sudden roadblock.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Revali suddenly exclaimed. “Do I _look_ like a Yiga?”

The guard’s eyebrows furrowed, forming a sharp and incredibly dangerous-looking V. “Excuse me?”

“Look at me!” Revali said, gesturing to himself. “When was the last time you saw a Rito Yiga? If I’m not mistaken, the Yiga are made up of Hylians and Sheikah, are they not?”

“…yes?”

“Then if I’m a Rito, then it’s impossible for me to be a Yiga then, right?”

“…yes.”

“And I’ve been traveling with these people for a while now, which means that unless the Yiga took their place without alerting me or having something look out of place, then they are, for all intents and purposes, _not_ Yiga.”

The two guards looked at each other.

“And in case you need _further_ proof of who I am, then fear not!” Revali said, posing dramatically. “For you are looking at the one and only Rito Champion, the greatest of all Rito warriors!”

Everyone stared at Revali for a moment. Someone coughed. Finally, one of the guards broke the silence by clearing her throat.

“Very well then,” she said. “You may pass. But be warned. If we receive reports of any treachery, I will _personally_ kick you out of here myself. Understood?”

“Crystal.”

The two guards lifted their spears from the entrance. At the same time, the massive wooden gates swung inward.

Zelda mouthed a silent _thank you_ to Revali as she passed through the gateway. The Rito somehow smirked even more smugly than before.

As Hal tried to pass through the guards, one of them reached down, picked up the fully-armored knight, and as easily as a mother cat would carry a kitten, picked him up and _threw_ him onto the sands. Hal barely managed to push his helmet up above his eyes before he found two spears pointed at his throat.

“No men!” the guards shouted. “No voes are allowed into the city!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hal grumbled as he staggered to his knees. “Forgot.”

“Does anyone _else_ want to try?” the guard asked, glaring at the rest of the males in the party.

“Nope, we’re fine sitting out here,” Marcus said hurriedly.

“No,” Revali said curtly. “I think you’ve made your point clear.”

“Only vai are allowed inside the city,” the other guard said. “So you two are allowed to enter.” She motioned with her head to Judli and Illo.

The two women hurriedly made their way inside before the gates closed. Zelda cast a concerned glance at the three males outside. Marcus was helping Hal to his feet. Revali returned her gaze and waved a wing nonchalantly.

“We’ll be fine,” he said. “Just don’t take your time, alright? Black feathers don’t do well in the sun.”

Zelda nodded. Turning around, she saw a Gerudo servant approaching her.

“You are Princess Zelda, correct?” she said. There was a slight accent behind her words, lilting her “r’s.”

“Yes,” Zelda said, nodding.

“Come with me then,” the Gerudo said, beckoning her forward with a finger. “My name is Otaisu. I am a servant of Chief Urbosa. Come, she is expecting you.”

“Could you arrange a servant to make sure the rest of my group outside will be prepared for the nights?” Zelda asked. “I’ve asked them to camp outside the city walls until our business here is done, but I fear that our current supplies won’t be enough for them to—”

“Do not worry, Little vehvi,” Otaisu said kindly. “I shall arrange their supplies myself, but we mustn’t keep the chief waiting. Her temper had been rather…short these past few days.”

Zelda pursed her lips as she followed Otaisu into the Gerudo palace. Illo and Judli followed close behind.

Urbosa was one of the kindest people she knew! What could have happened to put her through such stress? Zelda guessed that based on the guards' unexpected ferocity at the gate and the news that the Yiga were impersonating travelers would be one of the reasons, but she’s seen Urbosa deal with much worse before.

“Before you meet the chief, I presume you wish to change into something a little bit more…presentable?” Otaisu asked.

“Yes,” Zelda replied. “My companions would also appreciate having a room to change in.”

“Very well, little vehvi. Consider it done.”

They followed Otaisu around for another few minutes before she pushed open a door and led them into a corridor filled with doors.

“You may change in any of these rooms,” Otaisu said, gesturing with her hand. “I shall wait here until you are done.”

Zelda murmured a quiet _thank you_ as she unslung her backpack over her shoulder and rushed into the nearest changing room. By the time she managed to wriggle her legs out of her black tights and unbuttoned her blue tunic, the two other women were done, judging by the lack of sounds from their respective rooms.

She envied the Sheikah then. Instead of wearing an elaborate dress, all they had to wear was a simple habit covering their entire body. Zelda, on the other hand, had to zip up a corset so tightly she could barely breathe, wriggle her way into the floor-length formal dress she wore every day back in the castle, button every button and fasten every brooch, and do her hair, all without the help of her servants.

Zelda hated being the princess sometimes, but if there was one good thing about being royalty, it was that you never had to worry about what to wear. It was someone else’s job to fret over your appearance. She just had to focus on awakening the sealing power that she’s been trying to awaken for the last nine years of her life. Not that she had to do anything else, but it was nice not having to fret over her appearance too often.

When Zelda was satisfied that she looked presentable, she gathered up her clothes, shoved them roughly into her bag, and opened the door.

“They’ll take those bags for you,” Otaisu said as two more Gerudo servants took their bags. “They’ll deliver it to your rooms.”

“Thank you,” Zelda murmured again, and the two other women murmured the same.

Otaisu’s eye merely twinkled before she turned around and led them back out into the hallway. As they approached the massive golden doors, Zelda felt her palms turn sweaty. She desperately wished her dress could hold moisture better, but the most she could do was clasp her hands together as Otaisu spoke something in Gerudo to the guards.

Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? She was meeting with Urbosa, her friend and mother figure! She had no reason to be nervous, yet no matter what she did, Zelda couldn’t stop her hands from sweating as the gates opened and Otaisu led her into the Chief’s throne room.

Chief Urbosa sat cross-legged on the rugged stone throne on top of a small set of stairs. There were six guards, three on each side. Four of them bore spears and the two closest to Urbosa had their greatswords planted firmly in the ground.

Judli and Illo fell behind Zelda as she approached the dais. As she stopped at the base of the stairs, the spear-wielding guards sank to their knees, though the greatsword-wielding guards only intensified their stare at Zelda.

“Well, well, well,” Urbosa drawled, resting a finger on her chin. “So the Princess herself comes all the way out into the desert to see me. What brings you out here?”

“Chief Urbosa,” Zelda greeted haltingly. “It is…good to see you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Urbosa replied, smiling. “But as much as I would like to spend all night catching up, there are a great number of things that also my attention, so please get on with it.”

“I have a proposition from the King of Hyrule,” Zelda said. “As you may have heard, Calamity Ganon will soon be upon us. To protect all of Hyrule and its people from the looming threat, my father has proposed that each of the four races of Hyrule choose a champion to pilot one of the four Divine Beasts. I suggested that since Divine Beat Vah Naboris was named after the famous Gerudo Nabooru, it would only be right for the Gerudo to choose their champion.

“Furthermore,” Zelda added, lifting a finger, “as a show of good faith, the king will also send a contingent of soldiers and Sheikah warriors to help you deal with the Yiga. All we ask in exchange is your cooperation during these trying times and that you, chief Urbosa, become Naboris’ pilot and champion of the Gerudo people.”

The expression on Urbosa’s face was unreadable. Zelda couldn’t help but wring her hands nervously as one of the guards whispered something into Urbosa’s ear. Urbosa tilted her head to listen to the guard’s words before whispering something back and waving her hand.

Zelda knew the chances of Urbosa refusing her request was unlikely. The Gerudo were renowned for their pride and tendency to see things through to the end. No Gerudo would refuse a call for help, but it was still nerve-wracking to see Urbosa gazing down at her so judgmentally

“Princess of Hyrule,” Urbosa said. It seemed like even the air stopped to listen to Urbosa’s commanding words. “I accept your proposition without hesitation.”

The relief Zelda felt was palpable and she let out a small but noticeable sigh of relief.

Urbosa uncrossed her legs and sat up straight, resting her hands on the throne’s stone armrests. “Not only are the Yiga planning to help resurrect Calamity Ganon, but it seems the Yiga clan is also after our treasured heirloom.” She gestured towards a golden helmet sitting on a pedestal near the throne.

“You have my word. I won’t rest until Hyrule is safe, from both the Calamity and the Yiga.”

It was all Zelda could do to stop herself from jumping up and down like a little girl as she and the two Sheikah women bowed respectfully.

“Gerudo Chief Urbosa,” Zelda said. “On behalf of Hyrule and its king. I thank you.”

Urbosa simply smiled. “Don’t thank me yet. Thank us after we put Ganon in his place.”

Urbosa suddenly snapped her fingers and said something to one of the guards in Gerudo, too quick for Zelda to comprehend. The guard nodded and rushed out of the throne room. At the same time, all of the kneeling guards rose from their knees and filed out of the throne room.

“Leave us,” Urbosa commanded, looking pointedly at Judli and Illo.

“It’s fine,” Zelda said as the two Sheikah cast a concerned look at her. “We’re friends, and we’re in Gerudo city. There’s nowhere safer than here.”

“As you wish,” Illo said. The two women picked up their skirts and silently made their way out of the throne room. The gates closed behind them.

“Now then,” Urbosa said, getting up from her throne. “How about we greet each other _properly_ this time?”

Zelda didn’t have to think twice before she stepped forward and gave Urbosa a hug. Being much taller than her, Zelda felt the warm and comfortable presence of Urbosa’s hand on her head as she stroked her hair.

“It’s been too long, little bird,” she said affectionately. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Zelda said, pulling away. “More than you could ever know.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Urbosa chuckled. “Has your father been treating you well?”

Zelda looked away and rubbed her arms. “I…I suppose so.”

“You suppose so?” Urbosa asked, raising an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“He’s been…stricter,” Zelda admitted. “He’s worried about the return of Calamity Ganon, and he’s been pushing me nearly every day to focus on awakening my powers, but…”

“But what?”

“I don’t know,” Zelda sighed. “I don’t know. This was the first time I’ve been able to leave the castle at all for any length of time. Normally, I would be clammed up in my room, praying or studying, but I had to beg him to let me out of the castle to try and talk to potential pilots.”

“Well, I’m glad you managed to convince him,” Urbosa said, resting a hand soothingly on her back. “Come on. That dress looks stifling. Let’s get you out of that and into something more comfortable.”

Zelda couldn’t agree. Urbosa led her down a series of passageways before stopping in front of a small, inconspicuous looking wooden door.

“In here,” Urbosa said, ushering her forward. “Don’t let the door fool you. It’s been a Gerudo tradition to hide valuable things in plain sight.”

Zelda stepped into the room and gasped. Despite the ordinary-looking door, the room itself was grand. Paintings and other works of art lined the pillars scattered around the edges of the room, and a supremely comfortable-looking couch was positioned in front of a bed nearly the size of Zelda’s own bed back in the castle.

“Welcome to my room,” Urbosa said grandly. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but I specifically arranged for you to stay with me while you’re here in Gerudo City.”

“Really?” Zelda asked.

“Of course!” Urbosa replied, her eyes twinkling. “Not only would you be safer here with me than in some guest room, but I thought you would enjoy spending some more time over pouting in your room.”

“I do not pout!” Zelda said.

Urbosa looked over at her and saw how she was puffing her cheeks up in mock anger. “Sure thing, princess. Whatever you say.”

She gestured to partition in the corner of the room. “You can change behind there. After that, we’ll have a feast to celebrate both your arrival here in the city and to commemorate finding the Gerudo champion.”

“Don’t you have other matters to attend to?” Zelda asked, gathering up her clothes from her bag that one of the servants dropped off by the couch. “You don’t need to—”

“What did you think I was referring to?” Urbosa said, winking. “Don’t worry about it. Just get dressed and get ready to have some fun. You’ve earned it.”

Zelda nodded and slipped behind the partition. When she was back in her traveling garb, she stepped back out.

“Just leave everything on the couch,” Urbosa said from where she was standing in front of the body-length mirror. “I’ll have a servant take care of it.”

Zelda did as she was asked and patiently waited by the door as Urbosa picked out some imaginary imperfections from her hair.

“Blue looks good on you,” Urbosa complimented. “Brings out the green of your eyes.”

“Oh, um, t-thank you,” Zelda stammered. She was unused to these sorts of compliments. “Your hair looks good tonight.”

“I know,” Urbosa smirked. Satisfied, she walked over to Zelda and held open the door for her. “Now, after you, little bird.”

* * *

The celebratory feast itself was unlike anything Zelda had experienced. Unlike Hylian feasts, where everyone sat around a table and rarely said a word, Gerudo feasts were loud, chaotic, and spread across the entire city. It seemed like every vendor was taking part in the festivities. The food was, of course, delicious. There all sorts of dishes to try, each one more mouth-watering than the last. Urbosa and Zelda spent a good amount of time walking through the markets, occasionally stopping to buy some food, play a few carnival games.

One game Zelda particularly liked was one where she had to whack a bunch of stuffed bokoblins on the head with a rubber mallet that squeaked on every hit. The bokoblins would occasionally pop out of these holes on the table at random times and order and she had to bop them with the mallet to get points. However, sometimes, a little Gerudo girl would pop up, and bopping them would take away points.

Predictably, Zelda wasn’t that good at the game, but it was certainly fun and satisfying to finally boop a bokoblins on its head. However, it was arguably more entertaining to watch Urbosa play the game. Her arm was a blur as she smashed every bokoblins, though there was a time where she hit a bokoblin so hard, the head of the mallet flew off and hit some poor Hylian woman walking behind them.

Both Urbosa and the game attendant had laughed uproariously about it while Zelda frantically tried to apologize to the woman. Luckily, the hammer was rubber and came more as a shock to the woman than actual pain and she laughed it off before ducking into a nearby shop.

After that fiasco, the game attendant gifted Urbosa a stuffed sand seal. Urbosa had immediately handed it off to Zelda. It was exceedingly chubby and adorable with round, puffy black eyes, and was colored a deep shade of blue. Zelda was far too old for stuffed animals, but she couldn’t help clutching it tightly to her chest as they continued walking through the night market.

As the night dragged on and more vendors closed for the night, Urbosa and Zelda found themselves outside the city walls. Even though most of the festivities were inside the city, there simply wasn’t enough for every single vendor, and as such, they had to make do with what they had. As expected, there were few people outside save for the occasional vendor or drunk Gerudo, but Urbosa and Zelda didn’t mind. They spent most of their time walking and talking, reminiscing on the past and theorizing about the future.

Urbosa sometimes forgot how bright and intelligent Zelda was. She was barely more than a child but the amount of knowledge she knew rivaled that of even some of the Gerudo’s most acclaimed historians. It always made her smile to see Zelda get so excited about her passions.

“—and then, when he wasn’t looking, I managed to sneak a thumbtack onto his chair!” Zelda laughed, struggling to get more than a few words between each gasp of laughter. “Oh, Father was _livid,_ but it was _so_ worth it to get back at that old pig!”

“Serves him right, talking to you like you were some sort of toddler and not the princess,” Urbosa chuckled. “Honestly, I don’t understand men’s thought processes sometimes. It feels like they always have to be in control of _something_ , no matter how small.”

“Honestly!” Zelda agreed. “There’s been so many times where I wish it was the other way around, where I get to control them for a change.”

“How much would you like that to be a possibility?”

Urbosa and Zelda turned towards the sound of a voice. A man was sitting on a tarp next to a small statue of Hylia. The man’s face was hidden by a hood, though the lower half of his face was visible as he grinned at them.

“I can offer you great power…for a price.”

Urbosa rested a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. “We’re not interested,” she said pointedly as she steered Zelda away from the man.

The man suddenly reached out and grabbed one of Zelda’s hands. “Come on,” he drawled. “You look like you got some rupees on you. Surely, you can spare a few rupees, eh?”

“Unhand her,” Urbosa commanded, glaring at the beggar. “Do it before I remove _your_ hand.”

“Come on, you can’t—”

Urbosa’s eyes narrowed as she rested a hand on her scimitar’s pommel. “I said to _unhand her_.”

“You—”

The man grumbled something his breath at them before letting go and hastily scrambling away. Urbosa didn’t relax her grip on her sword’s pommel until the man was well and truly gone.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Urbosa apologized earnestly as she glanced towards Zelda. “We Gerudo understand, of course, what it means to be down on your luck. We live in a desert, after all, but our people are far too proud to stoop to something as low as begging.”

“I’ve never seen you so serious before, Urbosa,” Zelda noted idly. “I mean, I’ve seen you hold court people, but I’ve never seen you acting so serious.”

Urbosa threw back her head and laughed, a cheery, infectious sound. “Oh my, I can’t say the same. Ten years ago, you rarely smiled, my little bird.”

“Why do I feel like you’ve called me that before, Urbosa?” Zelda asked. “I was wondering where you got that name from?”

Zelda frowned and stopped when she noticed Urbosa stopping a few steps behind her. She turned towards Urbosa and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Urbosa had yet to move from where she had scared off the beggar and was looking out the sides of her eyes at a pair of travelers walking by them chatting idly. Her eyes narrowed as they passed by them and she rested her hand again on the pommel of her scimitar.

“Halt!” she called out in that same commanding voice she usually reserved for the throne room. “Face me. Unlike you cowards, I prefer to fight my enemies head-on!”

The two passersby and looked at each other in confusion. Zelda clasped a hand to her chest as Urbosa fully unsheathed her weapon and stared to face the two men head-on, a hand on her hips.

“Do your worst!”

“Urbosa,” Zelda meekly interjected. “Perhaps—”

It all happened so quickly.

With a puff of smoke and the flapping of papers, the two men suddenly rushed towards them, no longer clad in traveling clothes. Instead, both were dressed in the trademark red and black tights of the Yiga clan and carried wicked-looking sickles in their hands. Zelda gasped as Urbosa tightened her grip on her scimitar.

One of the assassins leapt towards Urbosa, bringing his sickle down on her in a descending arc. Urbosa effortlessly blocked it before pushing the Yiga assassin away. The assassin tried to strike at Urbosa’s exposed back but she twirled around and slapped his sickle away with her blade as her other hand deftly grabbed her shield hanging from the hips and slammed it into the Yiga assassin’s weapon as he tried to attack her again.

Urbosa smashed the assassin’s weapon so hard, she knocked the weapon out of his hands and sent it whistling into the night. The assassin staggered backwards and as he tried to recover, Urbosa rushed forward, pirouetted, and slammed the pommel of her scimitar into the Yiga’s stomach.

Zelda cringed at the sound of the blow and at the sound of all the air in the Yiga assassin’s body being forcefully expelled. He crumpled silently to the floor as Urbosa replaced her shield on her hip and gazed triumphantly at her fallen opponent, a hand raised high above her head as if she were celebrating her victory.

It was at this moment the second assassin reappeared, leaping upwards to bring his sickle down in a devastating two-handed strike. Zelda cried out Urbosa’s name before Urbosa snapped her finger and an ear-splitting _BOOM_ shook the desert. An honest-to gods _lightning bolt_ rained down from the heavens and struck the Yiga assassin mid-air, causing him to scream in pain and crumple to the floor next to his partner.

It was only then Urbosa widened her stance and tossed her head back.

“Out of respect for our princess, you may keep your lives,” Urbosa said fiercely. She made a shooing motion with her head. “Now go!”

The first assassin struggled to his feet and slung his companion’s limp arm over his shoulder as he half-dragged, half-trudged away. Urbosa watched them stagger away and did not sheath her weapon until the two assassins disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“I shouldn’t have brought you out here,” Urbosa said. “The Yiga know you’re here and they sent those two to try and kill you. Luckily, I managed to foil them.”

“That’s an understatement,” Zelda murmured as she felt a gust of wind blow her hair back.

She looked up and shielded her eyes as Revali landed in front of her, bow strung and arrows nocked.

“We heard a commotion from where we were camped,” he stated flatly. “I didn’t care, but your guards _insisted_ I fly over to check it out. They’re right behind me.”

As if on cue, Zelda heard someone call her name and she peeked over Revali’s shoulder to see Marcus and Hal struggling to make their way towards them, their heavy iron boots making it difficult for them to run on the shifting sands. Urbosa glanced at Revali, a mysterious smile on her face.

“So you’re the self-proclaimed Rito champion?” she asked, a little bit too innocently.

Revali felt his feathers ruffle. He did not like her tone of voice at all.

“What about it?” he asked sharply.

“Oh, nothing,” Urbosa said nonchalantly. “I just expected someone of your reputation to be a little…older.”

Zelda couldn’t help but giggle as Revali spluttered indignantly. It seems her theory was correct. Revali really couldn’t take any jabs at himself despite his barbed personality.

“Wh—I’ll have you know I’m a fully-fledged adult by my race’s standards!” he said, shaking a wing at her. “Walk fifty feet away from here and then we’ll see who’s the better warrior between the two of us!”

“I never said I was the better warrior,” Urbosa said teasingly. “I simply insinuated that your skills must be impressive for one as young as you to earn the title of Rito champion so easily.”

Revali opened his beak to retort but decided against it upon hearing the hidden compliment in the Gerudo chieftain’s words. At least, he thought it was a compliment.

“In that case, thank you,” he said smugly. “I’ve spent years trying to master my art, and while many have congratulated me on my achievements, few have mentioned my age. Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky at my age.”

Urbosa rolled her eyes. She _was_ trying to compliment him in the typical Gerudo backhanded way, but apparently, he was too much of a birdbrain to take the compliment and shut up. Instead, he elected to preen himself further.

“We need to get you out of here, princess,” Hal gasped, doubling over for air. “You can’t stay here. I saw what happened. The Yiga know you’re here, and they’re trying to kill you. We have to get you back to the castle.”

“No!” Zelda exclaimed. Taken aback by her sudden shout, she apologized. “I-I’m sorry, but I mustn’t return to the castle yet! I still have to find the remaining champions!”

“Princess, we understand your mission, but our mission is to escort you safely to the castle,” Marcus stated flatly. “Whether or not the king decides to keep you in the castle is entirely up to him, but I really must advise returning to the castle to pick up supplies and rest up, at the very least.”

“He’s right, you know,” Urbosa added on. “I know you hate seeing your father again so soon, but your guard raises a fair point. It _would_ be safer for you to return to the castle after exiting the desert.”

“Urbosa…” Zelda murmured, hand clasped to her chest. “I thought—”

“But not now,” she suddenly said. She glanced at Zelda and she saw her eyes twinkle. “It would be foolish for you to travel through the desert at night. I can offer a safe place to stay for the night. I’ll have my guards sweep the city and the surrounding landscape, but you may stay the night here.”

“Urbosa…” Zelda murmured again, this time in admiration.

“You’ll have to leave the following morning, but I will provide you with supplies and guards, at least to the edges of the dunes. After that, you must return to the castle. _Safely_.” She glanced pointedly at Zelda.

“That’s agreeable,” Hal said. Marcus nodded as well.

“So what, we’re going to camp out here while a bunch of Yiga assassins prowl around the area, trying to pick us off?” Revali asked. “ _She_ might be safe,” gesturing to Zelda, “but what about the rest of us?”

“Worry not, Rito,” Urbosa said. “I’ll personally make sure the watch is doubled tonight. Just make sure you get some rest. The desert can be treacherous, even without a bunch of cowardly Yiga trying to kill you. Luckily, it seems they’re only after the princess and not you.”

“Well _that’s_ reassuring,” Revali scoffed, rolling his eyes.

The group turned as the signature _bark_ of a sand seal called out to them. A group of Gerudo warriors rode up to them, each one effortlessly slipping their shields from their feet to their arms as they unsheathed their weapons.

“We heard what happened,” the leader said, stepping forward. She flitted her eyes over the group and visibly sagged in relief. “Good, it seems none of you are hurt.”

“Of course they wouldn’t be,” Urbosa said, smiling. “Not under my watch.”

Revali rolled his eyes. And people said he was full of himself.

“Of course not,” the guard said, a wry smile on her face. “But it would be foolhardy for you to travel back to the city on foot. We will escort you and the princess back.”

“What about them?” Zelda asked, looking back at Revali and her guards.

Urbosa tapped her finger against her chin as she glanced back at the rest of their group.

“They’ll walk.”

* * *

It was late when they arrived back at the city despite using sand seals. As they passed through the city gates and approached the barracks, Urbosa motioned for the guards to halt as she gently brought her sand seal to a stop.

“Take her to my quarters,” she ordered, leaping nimbly off her shield and sliding it onto her back. “There’s something I need to do. The rest of you come with me. We need to make sure the city is secure.”

The Gerudo that Zelda was shield-surfing with nodded once, sharply, as the rest of the warriors followed Urbosa into barracks. Zelda mutely followed the guard as she led her to Urbosa’s room. The two guards stationed outside the room saluted them as they approached.

“The chief wants her inside,” Zelda’s guard said.

“Where’s the chief?” one of the guards asked.

“Busy trying to secure the city. A couple of Yiga assassins tried to catch the chief and the princess off guard. Lady Urbosa fought them off, but we’re doubling the security tonight.”

The guards nodded in unison. “You’d better get inside then, princess. Lady Urbosa will come for you when she deems it safe.”

When Zelda hesitated, one of the guards looked down at her, smiling gently. “Worry not, little vai, no one’s getting in or out. We’ll make sure of it.”

Zelda nodded and hurried into the room. The door shut behind her and she heard the _click_ of a lock sliding shut, locking her in. The sound was innocuous, but Zelda couldn’t help but be reminded of the countless times she had been forced into a room to pray and hear the door lock behind her.

She took a moment to take a deep breath and relax. At least she didn’t have to pray here. In return, all she had to do was worry about the possibility of a Yiga assassin sneaking in and doing away with her. In times like these, where she was trapped in a room with nothing to do, she began to think.

The chances of a Yiga assassin sneaking into the room were slim, but not impossible. The door was locked, which would make it nearly impossible for anyone to sneak in even if there hadn’t been guards posted at the door, and the windows were dozens of feet in the air with no handholds for anyone to use if they decided to risk discovery by the guards and climb up.

Out of curiosity, Zelda peeked out of a window and gazed over the city. Watchfires dotted the darkness over the city every few streets and she could see the shadows of Gerudo warriors patrolling the streets. She thought she heard Urbosa’s voice yelling about something for a moment, but she wasn’t sure.

Sighing, Zelda looked at the bed and entertained the thought of resting but decided against it. She wasn’t tired yet and she felt it would be better if she waited for Urbosa to return. Still, she ducked behind the partition again to change into her nightclothes. After she carefully packed away her clothes and prepared what she needed to wear for tomorrow, she looked around the room, trying to find anything to look at to pass the time.

A suit of armor in the corner caught Zelda’s eye and she walked over to it to examine it. The armor was unlike anything she ever saw before. The steel pauldrons covered the entirety of the neck and upper part of the body while a plated kama covered the legs. The chest area was covered by chainmail and had some sort of Gerudo symbol carved into the front. All in all, the armor looked exceedingly cumbersome and difficult to fight in, but the defensive capabilities would likely be unmatched.

Next, Zelda looked at a couple of shields hanging next to each other on a wall. One had the crest of the Gerudo carved into it while the other had an odd crescent and star design. Both shields were lined with some sort of red metal while the main surface of the shields were exceedingly polished and shiny. As Zelda peered closer at the surface of the shields, she realized that it was almost a perfect mirror, reflecting her face back at her.

Once she got tired of staring at herself in the shield’s surface, Zelda sighed again and plopped herself on top of the couch in front of Urbosa’s bed. Zelda frowned as she felt herself sit on something and upon looking underneath her, found a small, well-worn book.

She opened it, skipped ahead a few pages to a random page, and began to read.

* * *

_My dear friend from afar came to visit Gerudo City today. It is always a pleasure to see the queen of Hyrule. She described her reason for coming this time as urgent. She wished for me to meet her newborn child. Her sweet daughter’s name is, of course, Zelda. She has both her mother’s smile, name, and warmth. I cannot help but cherish her already. I told her that Zelda is sure to grow up into a dignified and beautiful woman, just like her mother. Zelda thanked me, but said that looks are only fleeting and instead wishes for her daughter to be blessed with true happiness. I write this even as I watch her gently coddle her daughter in her arms. She calls her daughter her little bird. I asked her why she calls her daughter that, and she simply smiled at me and said that one day, she would have to spread her wings and become the beacon of light that Hyrule will need. I have never seen such unconditional love._

Zelda felt her vision blur as she gently touched her mother’s name. Of course, it was the same as hers, spelled exactly the same way, but at the same time, it _felt_ different. Zelda sniffed and wiped away the tears that had been pooling in her eyes as she flipped through another few pages. She thought she saw a familiar phrase and turned back to that page.

_I have received a message from the Hyrule royal family. They informed me that I am one of the candidates to pilot the Divine Beast and that they would send an official emissary to oversee our decision. I have a feeling I know who this “official emissary” is, and I cannot wait to see her. It’s been months since I’ve last seen my little bird. I have that she has been tasked with travelling across all of Hyrule to try and find pilots for each of the Divine Beasts. I know she is well-guarded, but I cannot help but worry for her safety. The world is changing, and not for the better. All I can do right now is simply pray she reaches our city safe and soundly. My heart cries for her. She is barely more than a child and is already taking on tasks even fully-grown adults have difficulty doing._

_As for my people, they feel uncertain. They are uneasy. They tell me that such a dangerous task is not suitable for the chief. I understand their fear, but I still intend on accepting this task. Not only would it be cowardly and shameful for a Gerudo chief to scrape this responsibility onto someone else, but Calamity Ganon’s resurrection threatens the whole world, not just Hyrule. I refuse to sit idly by. Legends also say that Ganon once took on the form of a Gerudo. I… ~~hate~~ resent this association. I believe Zelda will arrive sometime tomorrow to receive my official answer. I plan on throwing a feast for her afterward. I plan on spending as much time with her when she arrives. She’s had a long journey and she deserves a rest after traveling the desert. I have heard rumors that it has been months since my little bird has last smiled. I would like to see that smile again._

* * *

“Keeping busy, little bird?”

Zelda gasped and hastily hid the journal behind her back as Urbosa closed the door behind her. She put her hands on her hips as she tilted her head and _tsked_ in mock disappointment.

“Going through a lady’s belongings is never a good habit to foster,” she said, shaking her head. “Especially if it happens to be her personal diary.”

“Urbosa!” Zelda exclaimed, overcoming her surprise. “You’re back!”

“Yes I am,” Urbosa said simply as Zelda rushed forward and embraced her.

Urbosa couldn’t help but rest a hand on top of Zelda’s head and stroke her long, golden hair. “Yes, little bird, I’m back.”

Pulling away, Zelda asked, “What about the Yiga? Did you find any more assassins?”

“No,” Urbosa replied. “We scoured the entire city but found no sign of any more Yiga. I still ordered the city to be on high alert and to let no one in or out of the city until you’re out of the desert.”

“Are you sure that’s the best idea?” Zelda asked. “Aren’t you afraid that people will accuse you of holding them prisoner here?”

“I’m willing to sacrifice a few disgruntled tourists for your safety,” Urbosa said flatly. “If they have a problem with it, they can take it up with the guards.”

Sensing Zelda’s disquiet, Urbosa decided to change the subject. She rested a hand on Zelda’s shoulder and steered her towards the couch. “So you found my old diary, huh?”

Zelda nodded, a little embarrassed. “I didn’t read much, and—”

“It’s alright. I wanted you to read it.”

Zelda looked up at her in surprise. “Wait, really? Why?”

Urbosa threw back her head and laughed at Zelda’s expression of surprise. Despite her confusion, Zelda could feel a smile of her own forming on her face as Urbosa’s laughter slowly died down.

“Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve laughed that hard,” Urbosa admitted as she casually crossed her legs. “I know you’ve probably read the latest entry in my diary already, didn't you?"

“Yes,” Zelda admitted quietly. “Thank you for arranging a celebration for me. I really do appreciate it. Truly, I do.”

“It was my pleasure,” Urbosa replied. “After all, it’s only fair that your reward should be proportional to the amount of work, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on,” Urbosa drawled, pouring herself a drink from a jug of water that was resting on a small table built into the side of the couch. “I know that look. You’re in Gerudo City! You’re with me! Relax a little, take a break! You’ve earned it.”

Zelda looked down at the back of her hand as if hoping the answer to all her problems were laid in her skin, which, of course, it is. “I suppose,” she said simply. “But it doesn’t feel right.”

“What doesn’t?”

“Taking a break.” Zelda sighed and pursed her lips together. “I know I’m supposed to unlock this sealed power, and I’m doing everything I can, but nothing’s worked! I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go back to the castle. I don’t want to be responsible for this…this damned _power_! I want…I want…”

Too frustrated to go on, Zelda weakly hit her leg with a balled-up fist and sat there, trying not to cry. Urbosa watched her felt her chest tighten. She reached over and rested Zelda’s head against her chest and stroked her hair.

“It’s alright,” she murmured.

“It’s _not_ alright though!” Zelda argued. “I’m supposed to be the princess! I have a duty to fulfill, but nothing I seem to do works! How am I supposed to face my father if—”

“Sh…” Urbosa continued to stroke Zelda’s hair as she shushed the princess. “It’s alright if you don’t know. I’m here for you. We all are.”

“We?”

Urbosa relaxed her grip to look down at Zelda, a smile on her face. “The other pilots, of course! We all have to work together to defeat the Calamity, don’t we? We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“But I don’t even know who the other champions are!” Zelda protested.

“Doesn’t matter,” Urbosa said. “Your father may push you and bury you with all this talk of ‘sacred duty’ and praying, but sometimes, he forgets that you’re still a child. He shouldn’t be pushing you around like that. Obviously, he has his reasons for pushing you, and you _do_ need to figure out how to awaken your powers, but it’s alright if you need a break. Don’t beat yourself up about taking a break every now and then.”

“He won’t let me,” Zelda muttered.

“Then let me talk to him,” Urbosa offered. “I doubt your father is going to make enemies of the Gerudo just so he can tell you to keep focusing on your studies.”

“Urbosa! You can’t!” Zelda exclaimed. “You can’t just…go to war with Hyrule because of me! I won’t allow it.”

“Who said anything about war?” the Gerudo asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I don’t plan on doing anything lasting, but your father and I used to be…friends.”

“Friends?”

“We had a mutual respect for each other,” Urbosa explained patiently. “We were both impressed by each other’s fighting prowess. It’s one thing to be a great warrior, but it’s another thing to be a king _and_ a warrior.”

“My father? Fighting?”

Urbosa gave her a small smile. “Yes, Rhoam was _quite_ the fighter back in the day, before he was made king following your mother’s…passing. It’s been many years since I’ve last seen him swing his claymore, but he was a fearsome warrior. It’s just a shame his skill at the blade never translated into being a good father.”

Zelda fell quiet and touched the necklace she wore around her neck. “I suppose he could be worse,” she murmured quietly. “But what about my mother? Father told me that the two of you were close, and I read a little bit of your diary—”

“Only a little bit?”

Zelda pouted. “Yes!” she proclaimed before clearing her throat. “I read a little bit of your diary and…I want to know more about my mother. Father never really talked much about her and I assumed it was because he was still grieving…but I want to know.”

Urbosa sighed and leaned her head back. “Ah…Zelda. Your mother was an extraordinary woman. She was kind beyond measure and wise beyond her years, but that’s what everyone else saw. When she wasn’t being the queen, she was actually quite mischievous. Have I ever told you about the time she snuck a _live_ frog into your father’s soup?”

Zelda giggled. “No, I don’t believe you have.”

“Then you better listen up then,” Urbosa said. “It was…it was a hot summer day, and your mother and father were out riding. That was one of your mother’s favorite pastimes, by the way. She loved horses, and I mean she _loved_ them. She would talk all night about horses if you gave her the chance to, but I’m getting distracted. So anyways…”

* * *

Urbosa smiled in satisfaction as she tucked Zelda into bed. The girl had fallen asleep against her during one of her stories and Urbosa decided to tuck her into bed. In times like these, Zelda looked so peaceful. Happy, even.

Gone were the worry lines crinkling her pretty little forehead or the constant frown on her lips. When she was asleep, her eyebrows would lift and her mouth would be slightly agape. Every so often, a small snore would emerge from her mouth and Urbosa couldn’t have stopped herself from smiling even if she wanted to.

Zelda was too young to be pushed like this. Urbosa knew the importance of Zelda’s studies as much as anyone else, but that didn’t excuse Rhoam for his treatment of his daughter.

The mere thought of Rhoam put a sour taste in Urbosa’s mouth. Speaking of the king…

Though her eyes ached from staying up so late, Urbosa quietly got out a piece of parchment, an inkpot, and a quill. As the candle slowly burned itself to a stump beside, Urbosa wrote a letter.

_Dear King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I am happy to inform you that your daughter has arrived safely at Gerudo City. She is a delight to be around and should have more opportunities to interact with people she enjoys being with. Of course, I understand the importance of her studies, but she is still but a child. Do not let your kingly duties make you forget that she is your daughter first and foremost. I would be greatly displeased if she did anything rash as a result of being overworked trying to master her powers so that she may seal away the Calamity…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I also apologize if this chapter dragged on a bit, but I guess I just got carried away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After bidding Urbosa farewell, Revali and Zelda has a little heart-to-heart conversation

As planned, Zelda, Revali, and her guards left the city early the next day. Urbosa was unable to personally see them off due to other matters requiring her attention, but she was able to pull Zelda into a tight hug at the palace gates.

“Remember, little bird,” Urbosa cooed as she stroked the back of Zelda’s head. “Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s alright to take a break every once in a while. Promise me you won’t do anything reckless because of your father.”

“I won’t,” Zelda promised as she pulled away. “Thank you for everything, Urbosa.”

“For you, my little bird? Anything.”

After their short farewell, Zelda met Revali and her guards outside the city walls. Urbosa had sent a contingent of guards to escort them to the nearest stable near the edge of the desert. Zelda’s group would then ride back to the castle on horseback while Revali flew over their heads.

The trip to the stable was relatively uneventful, though there was a time where everyone watched Revali trying to learn how to shield surf and failing miserably. Eventually, he gave up and decided to fly to the stable and meet them there. They made a quick stop at the Kara Kara Bazaar to bid farewell to Illo and Judli. As they rode the sand seals out of the desert, Zelda could tell the guards were on high alert for any possible signs of a Yiga attack. Luckily, the stable was near the edge of the desert and they were able to make it there before noon. From there, Zelda bid her escort farewell.

“Are you sure you don’t need us to escort you back to the castle?” the captain said. “It’s no trouble, and I’m sure Lady Urbosa would understand.”

“No, it’s quite alright,” Zelda said, shaking her head. “I mean no offense, but having more people traveling with us will only slow us down.”

The captain nodded and twisted her hand over her chest in some sort of Gerudo salute. “Very well then. Sav’orq.”

“Sav’orq.”

Revali saw them coming from where he was perched on a rock pillar next to the stable. He leaped down to land next to Zelda, causing her horse to snort and shake its head.

“Relax,” Zelda murmured, stroking the horse’s neck. Glaring at Revali, she asked scornfully, “Do you _have_ to do that?”

“Do what?” Revali said defensively.

“Scare the horses.”

“It’s not my fault,” Revali said blithely. “They should’ve seen me coming.”

Zelda bit back a caustic reply and resumed saddling her horse. Next to the campfire, Marcus and Hal were doing the same. Revali glanced back at the knights, then back at Zelda.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked. “We get you back to the castle, and then what?”

Zelda pursed her lips as she tugged at a strap. “I introduce you to my father and tell him the good news about Urbosa.”

“Then what? What about me?”

Zelda resisted the urge to roll her eyes. At this point, it was a given that Revali would do anything to try and bring himself into a conversation.

“We’ll see,” she said simply. “Hopefully, my father allows me to travel to Goron City and Zora’s domain next. I already have a pretty good feeling as to who the Zora’s Champion is, but I barely know anything about the Goron’s champion. I simply hope my father sees the importance of this task.”

Revali couldn’t help but notice the twinge of bitterness in her voice when she mentioned her father. While he didn’t really find much to respect in the girl’s attitude towards him, he also had no intention of bullying her or reminding her of anything painful. Judging from the sour expression on her face, it seemed her father was a bit of both.

Truth be told, he regretted being so harsh to her a couple nights ago, and not just because of her constant needling of him. He meant it when he said he didn't plan on being her friend just because they happened to be on the same side, but he definitely could have been nicer about it. Since snapping at her, he had been sulking and pacing around in circles, much to the humor of the knights. He wasn't a bully, He just told the truth, but if there was one thing Revali had to improve at, it was being more considerate of the other person's feelings while telling them the cold truth.

“You don’t like your father much, do you?” he asked.

“It’s none of your business,” Zelda said, looking away from her.

 _That_ caused Revali to tilt his head curiously. He had heard Zelda get upset at him before, but most of the time, it was her being mean for the sake of being mean. This time, it cut a lot deeper. As if sensing his surprise, the frown on Zelda’s face deepened.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized sheepishly. “It’s just…difficult talking about him.”

Revali nodded wisely and stroked the bottom of his beak. “I understand.”

Zelda looked up at him, confused. “You do?”

“Well, _obviously_!” Revali snapped. He cringed internally as soon as the words left his beak. He didn’t mean to belittle her, especially since she looked apprehensive enough about her father. She _really_ didn’t need anyone else putting her down.

“I mean, yes, I’m familiar with your situation,” he said, a little bit more gently this time. “I…never knew my father, and my mother passed shortly before I hatched.”

“I’m…I’m sorry to hear that,” Zelda said. “I was only six when my mother passed, but I can’t fathom not knowing anything about your parents.”

“Yes, well. You learn to live with it,” Revali said, shrugging. “The point is, all I was ever told was that my father was a great warrior and that it was my responsibility to live up to his legacy. That’s it. That’s all they ever told me. I never knew him and already, people were expecting me to be better than him.”

He scoffed. “I mean, that’s just asinine, isn’t it? Being told to be better than someone you never even knew?”

“I…I suppose,” Zelda admitted. “All my life, my father has told me to focus on awakening my powers and that everything else was secondary, but I don’t know _how_. He just tells me to pray and pray, but nothing I seem to do ever seems to please him.”

Revali visibly winced. “Those kinds of people are the worst. They have no idea how much effort you put in to even show what you have and just pressure you even more when you do show proof of your work.“

“Why are you telling me this?” Zelda asked. “I thought you said you had no intentions of being my friend?”

“I did say that,” Revali admitted, ruffling his feathers. “But…I’ve been thinking. I may have been overly harsh towards you when we talked the first time. I said some choice words that may have been a bit…scornful in tone.”

“Are you trying to apologize?” Zelda asked, a smile spreading across her face. “Is that what this is about?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Revali said indignantly. “I simply feel that our last conversation could have gone a bit better. I stand by my words that us working together to defeat Calamity Ganon doesn’t automatically make us friends, but I could have worded it a little bit better.”

Zelda crossed her arms and looked at him, a mirthful twinkle in her eyes. “Right. Uh-huh.”

“It’s just the truth. Don’t think anything of it.”

“Whatever you say, Revali.” Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought.

“It’s _Master_ Revali,” he reminded her again. “Don’t forget it.”

Zelda smiled but returned to her task. Revali flew up and perched on top of the rock pillar again and watched her. They weren’t friends, but he wouldn’t be object to the idea of giving the princess a helping wing sometimes. _Sometimes_.


	4. Chapter 4

Revali’s beak dropped open as they approached the castle. They were still quite a ways away from the town surrounding the castle, but that was just a testament to the sheer immensity of the castle’s size.

“Holy Hylia,” he breathed, for once dropping his characteristic smug façade in favor of shock. “I’ve heard rumors, but—I mean, I knew the castle was huge, but not that huge!”

Zelda looked back at Revali, a faint smile on her face. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’re still a ways off from the castle. You’ll have time to preen yourself before people see you.”

“Well, I mean—that’s very considerate of you,” Revali said, coughing slightly. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Later that night, when they decided to camp next to a small grove of trees, Revali surprised Zelda by sitting down next to her on the log she was using as a makeshift chair. Zelda gave him a look of surprise as he helped himself to a bowl of broth that was cooking over the campfire.

“So tell me, princess,” he said casually, “how is the castle? I’ve heard rumors of it’s magnificence, but is it really as grandiose as they say?”

Zelda shrugged half-heartedly. “I wouldn’t know. I spent most of my time either in my room or the library.”

“You never ran out into the hallways and just, oh, I don’t know, _frolic?”_ Revali asked.

Zelda gave him a pointed, almost offended look. “I am a _princess_. I don’t have _time_ to ‘frolic’ about.”

“Not even as a child?”

“No.” Zelda looked away. “Not even as a child.”

Sensing the mood, Revali hastily changed the subject. “What did you do then, moping around in your room? Surely, you must’ve done _something_ to pass the time.”

“I read books,” Zelda said flatly. “Most of the time though, I just prayed.”

“For what? Your powers?”

Revali couldn’t see her eyes from the way her hair hung in front of her face, but he must have upset her since she suddenly got up and made her way back to her tent.

“I don’t mean to ignore you, Revali, but tomorrow’s going to be a long day. I’ll need all the rest I can get,” Zelda said apologetically, ducking into her tent.

“Fair enough,” Revali muttered, watching the tent flap swing shut. “Every warrior needs a decent night’s rest.”

He glanced towards the knights sitting on the other side of the campfire. One of them was busy keeping watch, but the other was stirring the coals.

“Hey, you,” Revali hissed.

Hal looked up at Revali in surprise. “You talking to me?”

“No, I’m talking to a rock. Of course I’m talking to you!” Revali snapped.

“What do you want?” Hal asked, sitting back down.

“The princess,” Revali said, jerking his head towards her tent. “What’s up with her? What’s her story?”

Hal simply shrugged and went back to stirring the coals. “What’re you asking me for? Hell if I know. I’m just paid to keep her safe, not to be her friend.”

“What about your pal over there?” Revali asked, gesturing towards the other knight.

“Marcus?” Hal snorted. “Please, if you thought I’m being tight-lipped, you’ll get nothing from him.”

“I don’t know what that phrase means, being tight-lipped. I’m sorry, but—”

“It means it’s none of your business,” Hal stated flatly. “We’re the knights of Hyrule. You ever heard of the phrase, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell?’ We don’t talk about our jobs and we don’t tell other people about our jobs. We do our job and we do it well. We don’t complain.”

 _Well now,_ Revali thought to himself. _Seems Hylians are a little bit more tenacious than I thought they would be._

“Fair enough then,” Revali said, rising to his feet. “Wake me when it’s time to leave. I’ll be…oh, probably in a tree somewhere. Just yell and I’ll wake up.”

The guard grumbled a “goodnight” and went back to watching the campfire. Revali decided to perch himself on the tree closest to Zelda’s tent. There was a light in the tent illuminating her figure, and although Revali did his best to avoid eavesdropping, it sounded like she was almost…praying.

“…help me awaken my powers, the same way you helped my mother and her mother. I’ve been asking for months now, hoping that you’ll send me some sort of message, but I’ve felt nothing. My father has told me time and time again that if I stopped trying to be a scholar, I would have awakened my powers by now, but I’ve put off so much just so I can pray, and I have nothing to show for it! If there’s something I’m doing wrong, _please_ let me know. I don’t…I don’t…”

Revali felt himself holding his breath. What for, he didn’t know, but the sheer desperation and tiredness in the girl’s voice made him _want_ to see her succeed. He was half-expecting some sort of sign to appear, a golden light or something, but when he released his breath, nothing happened. The air was still chilly, the moon was still bright, and there was no sign of anything… _godly_.

Revali couldn’t help but let out a disappointed sigh as Zelda’s shadow moved against the tent’s walls. Apparently, this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for her since he heard no more sounds out of her for the rest of the night, even with his enhanced hearing.

Sighing, Revali crouched and draped some of his feathers over his feet, using his feathers as a natural blanket. So that was why she was hesitant to speak of her father and life in the castle. It just now dawned on him the immense task the princess must be faced with. He had some inkling that she was under some sort of pressure, but this new revelation all but confirmed it. 

He said he wasn’t here to make friends, but now? Now he wasn’t sure.

* * *

It was early the next morning when they arrived at Hyrule Castle. They had to walk through a crowded marketplace before they could arrive at the castle gates. As they pushed past the throng, Revali couldn’t help but hold his head up a little higher. He had spent most of the morning preening himself to look presentable. He had his Great Eagle Bow slung over his shoulder in a manner he deemed _cool._ Not casual. _Cool._ After all, they _were_ meeting the King, weren’t they?

Despite trying to appear as smug and confident as possible, Revali still noticed the tight expression on Zelda’s face and how the knights’ hands never strayed far from their weapons. One of them even had his hand on his sword’s pommel as they rode through the street.

As they approached the massive metal gate separating the castle from the town, Revali couldn’t help but be impressed by the intricate designs carved into the metal. There was some sort of bird design emblazoned right in the middle of the gates.

When they were a few feet away, the gate opened. Revali winced and covered one of his ears with his free hand. Gods, those gears need to be oiled! Zelda gave him an odd look out the corner of her eye and Revali was surprised to see none of the other Hylians seemed particularly perturbed by the painful screeching of the metal.

It seems Rito hearing was a bit _too_ sensitive.

As the gates opened, a dozen or so guards marched out towards them, their faces hidden by their metal helmets. They marched towards them in a straight line before parting and allowing another Hylian to come into view.

The Hylian was large, standing taller than any of the guards around them. He didn’t seem to be particularly overweight, but his face had the edges of time and experience carved into them. He had a magnificent-looking white beard that spilled over his chest and had a hard, if tired, look in his eyes as his gaze flitted over them. Revali blinked in surprise when he noticed the crown sitting on the Hylian’s head.

At the same time, Zelda and her guards dismounted and dropped to their knees, or in Zelda’s case, bowed respectfully.

“Father,” Zelda greeted curtly, her gaze still downcast. “I’ve returned.”

“So it seems,” the King rumbled. His voice was deep, gravelly, and carried authority. He looked over at Revali and the Rito felt a shiver run down his back at the hard look in the King’s eyes. “And who might this be?”

Rising, Zelda said, “This is Revali of the Rito. He is a gifted archer and has accepted the role as pilot of Divine Beast Vah Medoh.”

The King’s eyebrow lifted. In surprise or pleasure, Revali wasn’t sure.

“Truly?” he asked. “It seems you’ve accomplished some good on this trip after all.”

Revali was wise enough to keep his beak shut as Zelda’s lips tightened.

“Yes,” she agreed sullenly. “Chief Urbosa has also accepted our—your proposition and—”

“I know,” the King interrupted, holding up a letter. “I received this letter only a few hours before your arrival here. I take it that you have yet to awaken your powers?”

Zelda averted her gaze and clasped her hands together nervously. “No. Not yet.”

“Look me in the eyes, Zelda, and tell me.”

Zelda met her father’s gaze. “No.”

The King sighed, seemingly defeated but unsurprised. “I thought not. I’ll have a guard escort you to your room. You are to spend the rest of the day praying.”

Revali opened his mouth to protest but Zelda silenced him with a pointed look. “Yes, of course, Father,” Zelda said, looking down and closing her eyes.

Glowering, Revali crossed his arm and took his anger out on one of his feathers by grinding it between his wingtips until the vane became frayed and utterly useless to him.

The King snapped his fingers and made a quick gesture with his hands towards Zelda. Four of the guards broke off from the rest of their group. One of them took Zelda’s horse and led it away while another hastily unsaddled the bags and slung them over his shoulder. The remaining two guards followed closely behind Zelda as she began her long and gloomy walk back up to the castle using one of the castle’s many routes.

The King sighed as he watched her go before turning back to Revali. “Forgive me, but my daughter has duties elsewhere. She has much to learn still, about being the daughter of the royal family. I simply hope the gods will shine their light on her the same way they shined on her mother.”

“Yeah,” Revali agreed dourly. “I share the sentiment.”

If the King noticed his surly attitude, he chose to ignore it. “Come,” he said, beckoning the Rito towards him. “This is no place for introductions. I’ll have the staff prepare a room for you. The finest. Truth be told, I was rather caught off-guard by my daughter bringing you along on her…quest. I was planning on sending all of the potential pilots a letter, asking them to join us in Hyrule castle, though with your early arrival here, it seems I would only have to write three letters instead of four!” The King chuckled dryly. Revali didn’t even budge his beak.

“Yes,” Revali said slowly. “Well, we Rito are known for being a bit...free-spirited.”

“So I’ve heard,” the King rumbled. “Come, come. You must be tired after your journey. I’ll have the servants prepare a dish for you. What would you like?”

Despite his uneasiness at the King’s earlier treatment of Zelda, Revali couldn’t help but feel a little bit flattered. Was this how it felt to be royalty?

“Well, if you’re going to be so nice about it…”

* * *

The King personally escorted Revali up to the castle. As they walked up one of the castle’s many roads, the King eagerly asked Revali all sorts of questions. Questions about his childhood growing up, life in Rito village, how the elder was doing, whether or not the village would require additional supplies for the coming winter. Those sorts of questions.

Despite his earlier reservations of the King’s treatment of Zelda, Revali was more than happy to answer him. As expected, the King was well-educated in nearly all matters regarding his kingdom, but he seemed to be most interested in Revali himself, which caused the Rito to feel no small amount of pride.

It was one thing to be considered the best archer in all of Hyrule, but it was another thing entirely to be praised about it by a _king_.

“I’ve heard reports of an incredibly gifted Rito archer up by the Tabantha frontier, but I had no idea that the archer in question was so young,” the King mused. “You must be either incredibly gifted or determined to have accomplished so much at such a young age.”

“It’s a little bit of both,” Revali said, shrugging. “Mostly talent though. I may be the best archer in Hyrule, but I can always improve.”

The King nodded wisely. “A wise sentiment, to be share. I only wish that my daughter has the same work ethic as you, but she’s always off trying to be a scholar.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Revali asked, feigning ignorance. “If she enjoys it so much, wouldn’t it be better for her to indulge in her interests?”

The King sighed. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors already, but my daughter has a crucial role to play in the coming battles. She has no time for these…games of hers. According to the ancient Sheikah texts that we’ve managed to decipher, the four Divine Beasts will weaken the Calamity enough for the Chosen Hero to approach and strike him down. Then, while the Calamity is in its death throes, my daughter will use her power to seal away the dark beast once and for all. That would be the plan, but unfortunately, we are still lacking both the Chosen Hero and my daughter’s powers.”

Revali frowned. Truth be told, he had hoped that _he_ would be the one to strike down the Calamity himself, but it seemed like that responsibility belonged to someone else. How asinine.

“We have already uncovered most of the Divine Beasts,” the king continued, oblivious to Revali’s annoyance. “Divine Beast Rudania proves to be elusive due to being partially buried within the sides of Death Mountain, but we already know the identities of two of the pilots, and I’m fairly certain that the two other candidates will accept this fateful task.”

“I see,” Revali mused quietly. “And who are these other two candidates?”

“Daruk, the boss of the Gorons, and Mipha, the Zora princess,” the King said. “From what I’ve heard, Lord Daruk is not the type to refuse a call to order, and Princess Mipha is said possess powers the likes of which no one has ever seen in thousands of years. And of course, the other two champions are you and Lady Urbosa of the Gerudo. All we need after that is for the Chosen Hero to appear, and we will hopefully be ready for the coming battles. I just hope my daughter can put aside her studies long enough to awaken her power by then.”

Revali frowned but said nothing as they entered the castle. Despite the unease he felt within his stomach, Revali couldn’t help but gape as they entered the massive hall. The ceiling was high enough for him to comfortably fly within the halls. Statues of armored knights lined the walls every few meters, and occasionally, there would be a painting depicting some ancient battle.

The king chuckled and Revali hastily shut his beak, determined not to make a fool of himself in front of royalty.

“No need to hide your awe,” the king said. “I’ve lived within these halls for the last twenty-five years and I even I still forget the history these walls carry. Some say that this castle was built thousands of years ago. Whether that is true or not is up for the scholars to debate, but I do find it interesting that there has been a Hyrule castle in every legend regarding the Chosen Hero.”

That _was_ interesting, but right now, all Revali could do is roll his eyes surreptitiously and follow the king as he lead him to the dining hall. It seems like everything was about this “chosen hero” or whatever. The king was face-to-face with one of the greatest Rito archers of all time! Yet all he can talk about is the identity of this chosen hero.

Revali muttered a curse as he threw another frayed feather to the floor. It seems like he’ll have to work even harder to surpass this hero when he does show up.

The king stopped in front of a door and opened it. “In here,” he said, motioning for Revali to enter.

Revali wasn’t sure if it was proper etiquette or not to enter before a king but the king insisted. The king murmured something to the guards following them before he entered after Revali.

“This,” the king said, “is Hyrule castle’s dining room.” He gestured grandly to the room. A long wooden table laid in the center of the room. A fancy-looking red tablecloth lines the nearly fifty-feet long mahogany royal table. Ornate chairs laced with gold were organized every few feet around the table and glass chandeliers hung delicately from the ceiling.

The king walked over and took a sat in an even more ornate-looking throne at the head of the table and motioned for Revali to sit in the chair next to him. Revali started in surprise when he realized that the chairs were occupied. A smug-looking noble sat in every one of those fancy chairs dotted around the table.

As he passed by the nobles, Revali couldn’t help but stand up taller up as he made his way. Pilot of a Divine Beast he may be, If he was going to be in the presence of nobles, he should at the very least carry himself like one. He gave one of the nobles a smile, or at least he tried. Ritos have no teeth so his version of a smile was to lift the muscles near the base of his beak and nod.

The noble he “smiled” towards gasped and blushed a deep red as Revali sat down. He felt a huge burst of satisfaction at being able to cause a noble to swoon. Finally! People who could appreciate him and his talents!

As soon as he sat down, the King rose again and tapped a wineglass with a spoon. Immediately, what few chatter there was in the room died down as the nobles turned their attention from Revali to their king.

“Welcome, everybody!” the King said heartily. “I know some of you may have heard the rumors already, but we have, in our presence, the first pilot of the Divine Beasts, Master Revali of the Rito Village!”

A collective gasp rose up. A few nobles leaned towards each other and whispered something into each other’s ears, their lips hidden by their hands. A few of the nobles’ smiles simply grew wider, which caused Revali no small amount of pride as he puffed out his chest and tried to make himself even taller. He rather liked the fact that he was “the first.” Successful people were always early, after all.

The King cleared his throat and Revali raised an eyebrow when he realized that he wanted him to say something.

“I’m sorry, you wanted me to say something?” he asked, and the nobles laughed. He smirked. And it appears that they possessed his sense of humor as well!

“Very well,” Revali sighed, standing up. He spread his wings out and flashed everyone a winning grin, or at least his version of a grin.

“You heard that right! Behold, the first pilot of the Divine Beasts,” Revali said grandly. “You may have heard of me before, but for those who are unfortunate to have not heard tales of me, I am Master Revali. I am the greatest archer in all of Hyrule and the pilot of Divine Beast Vah Medoh! I am _honored_ that everyone here decided to meet me!”

Silence.

They were probably too awed by him to say something, that was probably why. Revali opened his beak to say more but Revali interrupted him by raising a hand.

“That’ll be enough, Revali,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen! Master Revali!”

Revali couldn’t help but bow as he sat back down. There were a few disconnected claps but the majority of the nobles still seemed stunned into silence by Revali’s sheer magnificence.

“I think that went rather well,” Revali said to the king as he picked up a fork. He looked at the utensils and sighed ruefully. He doubted that he would be able to get away with pecking at his food, even if he was Medoh’s pilot.

“Yes,” the king said, coughing. “You must have a lot of…confidence to present yourself to boldly to my court. Most would take the cautionary route and introduce themselves…more traditionally.”

“The way I see it, nothing’s more irritating than false modesty,” Revali said. He managed to pick up a piece of fish with a fork and put it in his beak. He couldn’t help but bob his head forward a little bit as he swallowed. “If you have the capability to back up your achievements, I don’t see why you _wouldn’t_ show off a little. You earned it, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps you are right,” the king mused. “It’s just rare to see someone so confident for their first time in front of court.”

“I’m Medoh’s pilot, am I not?” Revali asked sardonically. “If they have a problem with me, they can talk to me personally.”

The king set opened his mouth to say something but a knight suddenly burst into the room. The noise in the room died immediately as the king rose to his feet again.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

The knight doubled over and raised a finger as he gasped for breath. Evidently, he had been running hard for a long time for it was almost a minute before he managed to gasp out, “The…the sword has been pulled!”

The table shook as the king slammed his hands on the table and pushed back his chair. Without a word, the king left the room, his long fur coat trailing after him. The nobles tittered amongst themselves, evidently caught off-guard. Revali stared after him, too surprised to properly react to being walked out on.

He _did_ react, though, when he felt something hit him on the beak. He flinched and looked towards the thrower and was surprised to see Zelda peeking out at him from the door that the king stormed through. She beckoned for him to come to her before ducking back out.

Revali glanced at the rest of the nobles. They were still whispering amongst themselves and he doubted they would notice his disappearance. He quietly got up out of his chair and ran out the door.

“Where are you?” he hissed.

“Right here!” Zelda whispered back, stepping out from behind a suit of armor.

Revali almost yelled in surprise but Zelda shushed him by literally reaching out and clamping his beak shut. He stared at her, outraged.

“Something’s happened,” she whispered. “I felt it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be praying in your room?” Revali asked, prying her hand off his beak. “And how did you get out?”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time I sneaked out of my room. And I _was_ praying, but then I felt something.”

Revali felt his eyes widen. “Is it—”

“No,” Zelda said a little bit too quickly, almost as if she was used to answering in the negative. She looked down at her feet sullenly. “I would know it if it was.”

Revali shut his beak and looked down as well. “Oh. Right.”

“Come on,” Zelda said, running down the corridor. “We have to see.”

"That's not very princessly," Revali said. “You’re going to get us both in trouble. Your father just went down this way.”

“And since did you start caring about getting in trouble or not?” Zelda hissed.

“Since I’ve been in this castle!” he retorted. “I don’t know about you, but I have to be on my best behavior here, especially while I’m in front of a bunch of nobles. I can’t be going around, getting into trouble and tarnishing my reputation!”

“You and your reputation,” Zelda said, exasperated. “Well, I’m going, with or without you!”

Revali held out a wing to stop her but she ducked under it and in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Revali could only stare helplessly at her as a golden blonde blur disappeared around the corner.

“Oh, for the love of—”

And then he too dashed around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not that good at writing Revali since I don't have a lot of experience writing characters with such a..."unique" personality. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter though!


	5. Chapter 5

For a princess, Zelda could be surprisingly quick on her feet. Revali had to actually _try_ to catch her, and even with his superior eyesight and hearing, keeping track of her was no easy task in the castle’s sprawling halls. Normally, he would have used his updraft and fly after her, but wind had an annoying habit of blowing things off the wall and he would prefer not picking up after himself.

Finally, the princess came to a stop outside a battered wooden door leading to what was presumably the guard’s chambers. Voices could be heard inside. She was peeking into the room when Revali finally managed to catch up with her, panting.

“You know…you’re pretty fast,” he managed to gasp. “For a Hylian,” he added.

“Quiet!” Zelda hissed. She glared at him. “Are you _trying_ to get caught?”

“For your information, this was _your_ idea,” Revali hissed, crouching down next to her.

Zelda retaliated up by giving him a nasty pinch on the thigh.

“Ow! Watch the feathers!”

“Quiet! I can’t hear them!”

Zelda returned her gaze to the people standing. A knight, a captain judging from his helmet’s plume and insignia on his right pauldron, was explaining something hurriedly to her father. Her father said something to the captain and the man nervously shook his head.

Revali shuffled as he tried to peek into the room. “What are they saying?” he whispered, curious despite himself.

Zelda ignored him as she strained her ear and peeked further into the room.

Her father was speaking to someone. That someone must have been very short judging by the way he had to crane his neck to look down and the fact that Zelda could see nothing of the other person save for his metal boots and greaves. Then again, her father had always been a big man.

“…anyone know about this?” he asked gruffly.

“Only the captain,” came the reply. Zelda had to strain her ears even further to hear him speak. He sounded very soft-spoken and quiet.

Her father sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hope you understand the consequences of your actions.”

The man hesitated before speaking, again in that quiet voice. “I do, your majesty.”

“And are you aware that from this moment forth, your destiny will be set in stone?”

A pause, and then a quiet, “I am.” Despite the curtness of his words, Zelda could hear a faint waver in his voice as her father nodded approvingly

“Good. Your father was never one to shirk from his duty. I’m glad his legacy lives on in you,” he said, resting a hand on the knight’s shoulder. “Kneel before me,” he commanded.

Armor and clothes rustled quietly as the knight did as he was asked. Zelda used the opportunity to try and peek under her father’s legs to get a better glimpse at the knight’s face. To her frustration, her father’s coattails extended down far enough to hide his features.

“What are you doing?” Revali hissed

“Shut up!”

There was a dull _schwing_ of a sword being unsheathed as her father raised the royal broadsword hidden underneath his coat and raised it above the knight’s head. Revali almost reacted but Zelda gripped his arm and placed a finger over her lips. When Revali looked at her incredulously, she shook her head and returned her attention to the knighting ceremony.

“Do you acknowledge me as your true and rightful liege?”

“I do.”

“Do you pledge fealty to me, and swear your sword to me, to be forever at my service?”

“I do.”

“Then repeat after me. I solemnly swear and pledge my sword to King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, my king, to defend and obey him until he depart his desmesnes or death shall take me, and to uphold the honor of knighthood.”

The knight swore that he would

“Then by royal decree and with the blessings of the goddess Hylia, I hereby induct you into the Hyrulean Royal Guard and bestow upon you with all the authority and power that comes with the position.”

Her father touched the knight on the shoulders with the broadsword. The knight, now a royal guard, quietly thanked him.

“Now rise.”

Her father’s back was facing towards her but Zelda could still feel a smile etching itself across his face as he clapped a hand on the knight’s shoulder.

“I understand that this is a monumental moment for you. I’m sorry he can’t be here to see his son follow in his footsteps, but these are trying times. There is another ceremony you must participate in, this time to formally introduce you as the chosen hero to the public.”

The knight must have paled since her father laughed heartily. Zelda couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Why couldn’t he laugh like this around her?

“Don’t worry, my boy. You won’t have to say a single word. It’s more of a formality than anything. The people need heroes to give them hope. I had hoped that my daughter would have been able to prove the naysayers wrong, but…it appears that you will replacing her as the hope of Hyrule. At least until she unlocks her power, of course.”

Zelda felt her cheeks burn as she balled her fists. Revali gave her a concerned glance and even uncharacteristically rested a feathered hand on her shoulder but she roughly shrugged it off.

The knight murmured something too quiet for Zelda or even Revali with his sensitive hearing to pick up. Her father laughed again, and this time, the jealousy burning in her cheeks turned to shame and anger.

“Perhaps, but she still fails to understand the severity of the situation. She continues to put off her prayers and treat this like some sort of game!” Her father’s voice rose as he got angrier before he sighed and kneaded his forehead. “But this isn’t the time or the place to discuss such matters. The ceremony will take place two days from now.”

The knight must have said something since her father chuckled again. “If it makes you feel any better, you won’t have to worry about being cooped up in the castle for the rest of your life. It would be a waste to station you as a simple guard. I’ve heard the rumors about you. You have a rare gift for swordsmanship. Truth be told, I had already planned to induct you into the royal guard when you came of age, but it seems circumstances have forced my hand. I have a special role planned for you. I just hope my daughter will accept it…”

“Come on,” Revali said, tugging at Zelda’s shoulder. For once, he dropped his snarky façade. “Let’s go. You’ve heard enough.”

“Not yet!” Zelda protested, wrenching her arm free.

Revali sighed and shook his head. Of all the angsty Hylians he had to be stuck with, why did it have to the crown _princess_?

He knelt down and forced her to look at him in one eye. “Trust me, I know how it feels to hear your parents talk about you behind your back and I know that you’re probably flicking your tailfeathers right now, but the more you listen, the worse you’ll feel. _Trust_ me.”

“I don’t care!” Zelda said angrily. “People already talk about my failures behind my back. What does one more person make?”

“You really don’t want to know,” Revali said warningly. “You really don’t.”

“What is the meaning of this?”

Revali paled as King Rhoam stared down at them disapprovingly. His nostrils flared as he tried to contain his temper. Zelda simply closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and turned around to face her father.

“Zelda, what are you doing out here?” King Rhoam asked. “You are supposed to be praying in your room! Need I remind you of your responsibility to your kingdom?”

“No,” Zelda said sullenly. “You don’t.”

“Then return to your room immediately,” the king commanded. “You are not to leave your room until you’ve proven that you’ve made progress in your training.”

Zelda opened her mouth to say something but decided against it. The king nodded to someone behind them and Revali spun around as two Sheikah dropped silently from the ceiling.

“Kolk and Ilka will escort you back to your room, Zelda,” the king said, though the hidden message was clear to everyone. _They’re here to make sure you don’t run off._

Zelda simply nodded wordlessly before turning deftly on her heels and marching down the corridor to her quarters. The two Sheikah wordlessly followed behind her.

“Well, I just wanted to say that it was her idea, not mine,” Revali said as the king raised an eyebrow at him. “I was about to have a nice lunch but she _insisted_ on eaves—I mean _following_ you.”

“I had hoped that my daughter would have the common sense to continue her studies, but her stubbornness and penchant for reckless disobedience continues to exceed my expectations.” The king sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s just like her mother sometimes.”

“She heard everything, you know,” Revali said loftily as the king walked away. “I know that she’s your daughter and that you’re the king and that you can do whatever you want to do, but it’s not right to talk about her like that behind her back. The night before we arrived here at the castle, I heard her praying. Maybe you should place a little bit more faith in her before you lock her in her room.”

The king stopped and turned to face Revali. “I know,” he said simply. “I know. But time grows short. With every passing day, the Calamity draws closer. Certain…sacrifices have to be made…for the greater good.”

Revali crossed his arms and looked at the king. “And you believe putting down your daughter and continuously reminding her of her failings is a sacrifice? You really think that’s smart?”

The king looked away before sighing and walking down the corridor. “I don’t expect you to understand, but sacrifices _must_ be made.”

Revali _tched_ and walked the other way. “Royalty,” he muttered under his breath as soon as the king was out of earshot.

Revali glanced at the wooden door leading to the guard’s chamber and was tempted for a moment to wrench the door open but to reveal the identity of the knight but decided against it. The king had gone out of his way to ensure that the knight’s identity remained anonymous, and despite his newfound dislike for the king, he knew that going against a kind’s orders would be a very, _very_ bad idea.

As he passed by the door, he couldn’t help but stop and glare at the unknown knight on the other side. Something about that knight felt…off. He couldn’t place a feather on it, and for that reason, that drove him crazy.


	6. Chapter 6

Zelda was too angry to do much more than throw her pillows furiously across the room that day. She tried to write in her journal but was unable to write more than a few sentences before she gave up and spent the rest of the day staring wistfully out the window. She knew she was being childish by throwing a tantrum but she was just so _frustrated!_ She’s done everything in her power to try and unlock her powers and all her father can do is talk about her behind her back?

She didn’t sleep that night, instead opting to lie fitfully awake in bed and stare up at the ceiling, thinking. Her father’s words continued to spiral around noisily in her head as she replayed his words over and over.

“ _You will be replacing her as the hope of Hyrule…She continues to put off her prayers and treat this like some sort of game…Need I remind you of your responsibility to her kingdom?”_

And then there was that newly-appointed royal guard! Zelda couldn’t figure out who that knight was but for some reason, the more she thought about him, the angrier she became, so she decided to ignore him and focus on cursing her father's name instead. Why couldn’t she please her father the same way a faceless, random knight pleased him?

A servant came by in the morning to deliver a tray of food. Zelda was still too upset to take more than a few nibbles out of a piece of bread and spent the rest of that day looking down at the courtyard below her balcony.

She watched as a group of knights practiced their drills. One knight is particular stood out to her. He was shorter than the rest of the men and didn’t look particularly intimidating, but she watched incredulously as he sparred four other knights at once and came out with nary a scratch. As the captain walked over to congratulate him on yet another “outstanding victory,” Zelda felt her face burn and tore her gaze away.

She tried to write in her journal again but was still unable to properly articulate her thoughts into words so she tossed it carelessly onto the floor. As the sun rose into the sky, she tried to dedicate herself to praying to the Goddess once more despite her ire.

It was around noon when there was a knock on her door.

“Come in,” she called.

The door creaked open and Zelda could already feel Impa looking at the journal tossed carelessly onto the desk, the flung pillow sitting by the fireplace, the mostly untouched tray of food, and the disheveled state of Zelda’s dress.

Impa sighed as she stooped down to pick up her journal. She looked down at it and brushed some nonexistent dirt off the front of it but did not open it.

“I came to check up in you,” she said softly, her Sheikah accent slight but apparent. “Your father wanted to see you in the throne room.” Then, more gently, “I heard what happened and I thought you should know that he didn’t mean any of it.”

“Any of what?” Zelda asked, laughing humorlessly. “That I’m still treating everything like a game just because I haven’t unlocked my powers yet or that the people see me as a failure of a princess? Ooh! Or are you referring to him belittling me behind my back?”

“Princess,” Impa said gently, but Zelda was still too busy ranting to let her talk.

“I mean, honestly! I’ve done so much, all in the name of awakening this power and the only thing he can do is call me a failure behind my back?” Zelda threw her hands up into the air, frustrated. “And then, all some knight has to do is swing a sword around slightly faster than normal and my father’s practically _gushing_ over him. Me? I spend all night praying and all he can do is send me to my room so I can pray even more!”

“Princess, this behavior is unbecoming of you,” Impa said, placing the journal on her desk. “I know you’re frustrated and hurt that your father talked that way about you, but not everything he said was true.”

“And how do I know that?” Zelda retorted. She turned away to look at the Hylian crest mounted above the fireplace. “I’ve heard the rumors already. Maybe he’s right about me. I am just a failure.”

“You’re not a failure!” Impa said, taking her hands and clasping it in her own. Impa forced Zelda to meet her red eyes as she tightly squeezed her hand. “I know you’re not a failure because I’ve seen you try. And just because some people believe in the rumors doesn’t mean everybody does! Your father shouldn’t have sent you to your room so hastily. I’ll talk to your father later about this, but for now, he wants to see you.”

“What is it this time?” Zelda asked as Impa shoved a bundle of clothes into her arm and ducked behind a changing partition.

“I don’t know,” the Sheikah woman replied, much to Zelda’s surprise. The fact that the Sheikah advisor knew as much as Zelda did bode ill. “He just asked me to check on you and to bring you to him in the throne room.”

“Well then, we wouldn’t want to keep him waiting, now do we?” Zelda asked bitterly as she followed Impa out of her room.

As they walked towards the throne room, Zelda couldn’t help but overhear some of the servants gossiping with each other. She couldn’t explain why but the whispers felt different today. It was more excited than accusatory, more hopeful than simply flights of fancy, more talk than idle chatter.

As Zelda and Impa passed by pair of maids whispering excitedly to each other, Zelda couldn’t but listen in to their conversation.

“ _Did you hear? He has the sword that seals the darkness!”_

_“Who does?”_

_“Rusl’s son! The royal guard! They say that his son pulled the sword from the stone!”_

Zelda felt a pit form in her stomach as the maids hurried by them.

_It can’t be, it’s just rumors, right?_

She shook her head and tried to put her suspicions out of her mind. Instead, she wondered what her father wanted to do to her this time. Did he want to see her just to tell her to focus harder on praying? Or maybe he’s decided to finally send her away to the Temple of Time so the nuns can do with her as they pleased. Or maybe he wanted to see her just to ask if she had made any progress and to belittle her when she inevitably answers in the negative.

Maybe it was all of them, or it could be something else entirely. Either way, when Impa finally pushed open the door to the throne room, Zelda was ready for her father’s inevitable tongue-lashing.

King Rhoam looked up from where he was reading over a report that one of his knights brought him when Zelda presented herself before him, resplendent in her dark blue royal dress.

“Good, you’re here,” he said, setting aside the report. “Have you made any progress in your prayers?”

_There it is,_ Zelda thought blithely.

“No,” she answered curtly.

“Look me in the eyes when you talk to me, Zelda!”

Zelda forced herself to meet her father’s eyes. “No,” she repeated, curling her hands into fists behind her back. “I did not.”

Her father grunted, seemingly unsurprised. “I expected as much.”

“With all due respect, your majesty, you’re pushing her too hard,” Impa said, stepping forward. Unlike Zelda, she had no problem meeting the king’s gaze head-on despite his height. “I understand your concern regarding your daughter’s responsibilities but need I remind you that she is barely more than a child. It’s been less than a day since she’s returned from the Gerudo desert and she’s already spent more hours praying than not! You can’t just lock her up in her room because she hasn’t made any _visible_ signs of progress. She just needs a little bit more time and freedom, not being locked up in her room!”

“More freedom?” Rhoam asked, raising an eyebrow. “The mere fact that I was planning on letting her travel to Eldin and Zora’s domain to seek out more pilots is a testament to the freedom I allow her.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Impa argued, raising a finger. “I meant at home, here in the castle. She’s only seen you twice so far since her return, not counting now, and each time, you’ve…you’ve blown her off! Letting her outside her room everyone once in a while isn’t freedom. That’s just a basic Hylian right! She needs to cultivate her hobbies, do something other than studying and praying. I’m not saying that she should run off whenever she wants to look at some ancient texts, but letting her do such things could potentially—”

“Enough!” Rhoam said, almost shouting. He sighed and stroked his beard. “Until I see results, I have no choice but to keep pushing my daughter.”

Impa frowned and Zelda looked down at her feet, her dismay apparent.

“But you are right, Impa,” the king said, his voice softening. “I shouldn’t have been so…stringent towards my daughter. Maybe I shouldn’t have ‘locked her in her room,’ as you put it, but there have been recent events that have pointed at the Calamity’s return. We are running out of time and my daughter _will_ need to be pushed as the Calamity draws near, but for the time being, I will…allow my daughter to do as she pleases.”

Zelda looked up in surprise. Her father had never said those words before.

“But!” Rhoam said, raising a finger for emphasis. “That does not mean you can just go about the castle cavorting about. I expect you keep her focused, Impa.”

“I will,” Impa promised, nodding.

“And Zelda,” her father said, looking towards her for the first time since his conversation with Impa. “Do you understand your responsibilities?”

Zelda fought the urge to say a caustic, childish reply. “I do,” her voice clipped. “…and I promise to continue focusing—”

“Look me in the eyes when you talk, Zelda.”

“I promise to continue trying to awaken my powers,” Zelda muttered before averting her eyes again.

Her father nodded. “Good. One more thing.”

Zelda looked at her father questioningly.

“I’ve heard reports of what happened in the Gerudo desert,” he said, his voice darkening. “It was very fortunate that Urbosa was with you. I shudder to think of what could have happened had she not been there.”

Zelda pressed her lips together as she nodded mutely. For once, she agreed with her father. She could still see the image of a Yiga soldier descending upon Urbosa from behind before she fried him out of the air with her powers.

“In her letter, Urbosa said that Yiga activity has increased exponentially all across Hyrule,” her father continued. “They have evolved from simple thieves and pests to an actual threat to the kingdom. Do you still wish to travel outside the castle to Eldin and Zora’s Domain?”

“I do,” Zelda said firmly. She desperately wanted to meet the potential pilots first and let it be damned before her father took that away from her as well.

“Very well then,” her father said. “As loathe as I am to let you leave the safety of the castle, Impa has made me aware of how much this…journey means to you,” He gave a pointed look at Impa, who simply nodded. “That is why I’m appointing a knight to accompany you at all times.”

“I thought Marcus and Hal were already supposed to be my escort?” Zelda asked, confused.

“There’s been a change of plans,” her father rumbled. “Those two knights were escorts, yes, but that was all they were. Simple guards and escorts, nothing more. This new knight will be responsible for protecting you and much more.”

As if on cue, the door to the throne room opened and the sound of armored footsteps rang out, loud and clear. Impa gasped and covered her mouth. Zelda didn’t dare turn, too afraid of having her earlier suspicions confirmed.

“He has made quite a name for himself over the last few years,” her father continued, ignorant of the turbulence going through Zelda’s mind as the knight took another step towards them.

“Princess Mipha and Lord Daruk have already sent us a strongly worded letter of recommendation. Not only is he the finest swordsman in all of Hyrule, but he also has good relationships with both the Gorons and the Zoras, which will benefit us greatly in the battles to come.”

_It can’t be_.

“Though he is not nobility, he is the son of one of the finest knights to have served in this kingdom, and as of yesterday, he is also the youngest member of the Hyrulean Royal Guard.”

Another footstep.

Zelda felt her blood chill as she felt a cold, familiar presence in the back of her mind. _It…it can’t be!_

“But all these accomplishments pale in comparison to his most recent one,” her father said. He stood up and gestured grandly to the knight standing three paces behind Zelda.

“Behold Sir Link, Hylian Champion, Chosen Hero of the Goddess...and wielder of the Master Sword.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in 1 day? What are the odds?
> 
> I'm actually pretty proud of this one. Has a lot of angst and talking about feelings though.

Zelda must have been dreaming. It couldn’t be. It was impossible!

The sword was supposed to be sleeping in the Great Forest to the north of the castle! She had _seen_ it before in her youth, planted firmly in the Great Deku Tree’s roots, resting—waiting until the time came to vanquish darkness once more. To see it sleeping was a sign of reassurance for Zelda, that she still had time left, that the prophecy could be wrong.

Her father was saying something to someone far away, but Zelda droned it out as she stared at the sword.

It was supposed to be impossible, but here it was, strapped to the knight’s back. Distraught as she was, she didn’t even take in the knight’s features, opting instead to look at the blade. Maybe it was a fake, or a clever replica, but once again, her hopes were dashed.

The design was unmistakable, and even if Zelda knew nothing about the sword or its history, its image was splashed across every history tome, banner, and flag in the kingdom with its purple grip, blue guard with the Triforce emblazoned on it, and the pearly-white platinum blade shimmering with the godlike powers the blade contained.

_It’s awake,_ Zelda thought, and her heart sank.

“…I have, your majesty,” the knight said in answer to some question my father asked. Zelda didn’t care, lost as she was in her thoughts.

She was supposed to be the Princess responsible for sealing away the Calamity. Any faint, dim hope that she had about the prophecy being wrong vanished as the sword glinted brightly in its scabbard. Its shimmer could even be mistaken for joy. The Master Sword had its master, once again.

“…Zelda, is to be your charge.”

_What?_

Zelda spun around to look at her father.

“What?” she said, echoing the thoughts in her head. “I’m going to be his _what?”_

“You are going to be his charge,” her father said, looking down at her sternly. “From this moment on, Link will be your personal knight, your bodyguard. He is to protect your life with his own, if necessary, as well as help you seal away the Calamity if you manage to awaken your powers.”

Zelda couldn’t help but linger on the word “ _if_.”

Her father continued to drone on. “…hopefully, you will learn something from being with someone who has worked for their role as one of Hylia’s chosen champions.”

“Your majesty!” Impa said, nearly shouting, but the damage was done.

It was all Zelda could do to keep her shame, dismay, and _anger_ from showing on her face as she gathered up her dress’ skirt and exit the throne room through the same door as that _boy_. She made a point to roughly shove past the knight as she passed him, though he barely budged and left Zelda with a rather nasty bruise from bashing her shoulder into his armor.

Impa shouted her name and asked her to come back but by the time everybody overcame their shock at her sudden departure, the door slammed shut behind her.

_I am the princess of Hyrule,_ Zelda thought to herself as she broke out into a run. _I am the princess of Hyrule. I am strong in the face of adversity. I will not bow before the force of evil. I won’t—can’t—let this boy remind me of my failures. I am the princess of Hyrule…_

When Zelda finally reached her room, she slammed the door shut and propped herself against the wood as the tears finally fell. She slowly slid against the door to fall to her knees as she glared at the tiny goddess statue.

“Do you think this is _funny?_ ” she asked the stone statue. “Is this supposed to be some kind of sick _joke_? I won’t let some _boy_ mock my failures? What makes _him_ so special? A _tree_ gave him his power and just like that, you give him your blessing? I’ve prayed and trained day and night for _years_ , and that’s still not good enough for you? What else do you want from me?”

When the statue remained stubbornly silent, Zelda growled and reached out to push the stone statue over onto its side. It was surprisingly heavy for its size but Zelda managed to tip it over whereupon it rolled around lazily on the floor.

Zelda had half-hoped that something would happen. Maybe Hylia herself would smite her where she stood for desecrating her statue in such a way. Zelda secretly hoped for that to happen. At least it would end all the pain and suffering, but no. Nothing happened. The statue continued to smile serenely up at her as she huffed irritatingly.

“You and your _damned_ power,” she cursed. “Why couldn’t you have helped me the same way you helped him?”

Someone knocked at her door. “Hey, you in there?” Revali’s voice asked. “If you are, pout dramatically. If not, I’m leaving.”

“Come in,” Zelda grumbled, too upset to care about the mess she made in her room.

Revali whistled as he opened the door and gazed around the room. “You know, you’re a lot stronger than you look to be able to push around a statue like that,” he said. “Please tell me that everything I heard was wrong.”

“What did you hear?” Zelda asked bitterly as she struggled to put the statue upright.

“The kid. The _boy_. You know, the one that has this darkness-sealing sword or whatever.”

“What about him?” Zelda said, biting back a curse as she almost dropped the heavy stone statue on her foot.

Revali made no move to help her, opting to lean against the doorway as he lazily inspected one of his feathers. “There’s no way he’s this ‘Chosen Herp’ everybody’s made him out to be.”

Finally, somebody who understood her plight and was willing to share her scorn!

“Unfortunately,” Zelda said, as coolly as possible. “Apparently, he was the knight that my father made a royal guard yesterday.”

Revali sighed and shook his head. “This is _bad_ ,” he muttered. “Scratch that actually, _anything_ involving that sword is bad news for all of us. It just confirms that this Calamity Ganon is going to happen sometime during our lives, and I’m not a fan of that.”

“Oh, is the great Revali chickening out?” Zelda asked sardonically.

Revali frowned and ruffled his feathers roughly. “Watch yourself, princess,” he said warningly. “Call me a chicken again and then we’ll see what you’ll do when you have to find another Rito to pilot Medoh.”

It was an empty threat and they both knew it. Revali was too proud to just give up his position so easily, but then again…

“Fine,” Zelda huffed. “I’m sorry. It’s just a Hylian saying.”

“One that happens to be very offensive to us Rito,” Revali said.

“To all Rito, or just you?”

“You tell me.”

Zelda sighed and gave up trying to outwit Revali. “Did you come here to rub that sword in my face, or are you here for something else?”

“Just to rub it in your face,” Revali said, smirking. “Don’t beat yourself up about that boy. He probably just got lucky and happened to be in the right place at the wrong time.”

“I appreciate your optimism,” Zelda said, “but I _doubt_ he just walked up to some random sword planted in a rock somewhere and just happened to pull the Master Sword.”

“And how many swords have you seen so far that have been planted in rocks recently?”

“Don’t sass me,” Zelda snapped. “He’s just the son of a knight. He’s not even nobility! He just happened to be…”

“Lucky?” Revali offered.

“No,” Zelda said. “The Master Sword doesn’t just let anyone take it. If it did, we would have found the Chosen Hero long ago. No, the sword has to choose its master, and the Goddess chose him.

“ _Please_ don’t make me defend him,” Revali said, drawing a long face—or at least a Rito version of a long face. Rito don’t have a lot of facial muscles. “Do you really believe in all that crap?”

“What do you mean?” Zelda asked, feigning ignorance. She knew what he was getting at.

“You know what I mean!” Revali said, exasperated, waving a wing. “I mean, how old are you again?”

“Sixteen,” she answered. “But I turn—”

“Exactly!” Revali interrupted. “You’ve been praying for how long?”

“Nine years. Technically ten if—”

“ _Exactly!”_ Revali said, leaning in towards her. “You’ve been praying for years now, but nothing you do seems to work, but then this…this _boy_ picks up a glorified stabbing stick, and all of a sudden, he has the Goddess supporting his every move. This whole ‘praying’’ thing seems like a load of Bokoblin dung to me.”

“What are you getting at?” Zelda asked warily.

“I’m saying that your Goddess praying is a bunch of bunk,” Revali said. “Sure, it could be useful, but maybe, instead of praying, all you need to focus on is doing stuff you actually care about. Not trying to play devil’s advocate or anything, but there’s a reason why that knight must have been chosen, right? Maybe it’s because he genuinely enjoys swinging a glorified bat around and it felt natural to pull the sword. What if it’s the same thing for you?”

Zelda was flummoxed. “I don’t understand,” she said. “What does swinging a sword have to do with my praying?”

Revali sighed. “I’m saying that maybe, the best way for you to awaken your powers is to do something you actually enjoy. I don’t know about you, but you don’t seem to enjoy praying very much.”

“It’s my duty,” Zelda said dully. “I have no choice.”

“Do you think you have no choice, or is that just what people tell you?”

“I…”

Revali sighed again and shook his head. “You know, for being a scholar, you really are quite dull sometimes. Think, princess. What do you enjoy doing?”

“I don’t know,” Zelda muttered. “I enjoy reading, I guess.”

“Then read!” Revali said, throwing his hands in the air. “Go to the library. Enjoy yourself. Don’t force yourself to do something you hate.”

“So you’re saying that if I did the things I like, it would be easier for me to unlock my powers?” Zelda asked haltingly.

“Yes!” Revali crowed. “Finally, the chick gets it!”

He had expected the princess to have a moment of epiphany and stagger around the room, dazzled by his advice, but to his concern, all she did was frown and look over her shoulder at the statue.

“I wish I could,” she said forlornly. “But my father won’t allow it.” She walked over to the balcony and rested her hands on the guardrail.

“Every time I tell him that letting me do things that I enjoy would make it easier for me to unlock my powers, he would always tell me to stop treating everything like a game,” she said. “He said that the only way for me to unlock my powers was through training and nothing else. I was too young at the time to argue against him…but now I wish I did. It’s been like this for years. It’s gotten to the point where if I’m not actively praying, I feel guilty, but because nothing happens after I pray, I feel even more guilty that I’m doing something wrong, and the whole cycle continues.”

She threw her hands up in frustration. “I just don’t know what to do,” she said hopelessly.

Revali remained uncharacteristically silent as he listened to Zelda. Finally, he sighed and uncrossed his arms.

“Fine,” he snapped. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll go talk to your father about it. If he won’t listen to you, maybe he’ll listen to me.”

“To you?” She scoffed. “What makes you think he’ll listen to you?”

“Because he can’t afford to lose me,” Revali smirked. “If he doesn’t listen, then I’ll resign as Medoh’s pilot.”

“What?” Zelda whirled around and stared at Revali, flabbergasted. “You…you can’t do that! We need you!”

“Exactly,” Revali said. “Of course, I don’t plan on actually resigning. I just want to scare him a little bit.”

Zelda couldn’t help but laugh a little at his brazen strategy. “Revali, you really are quite admirable at times,” she said, smiling.

“I know, keep telling me that,” he said over his shoulder as he left the room. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Hm?”

“It’s _Master_ Revali. Don’t make me remind you again.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Ah yes, my apologies, _Master_ Revali.”

Revali smirked back at her. Truth be told, part of the reason he came up to check on her was to cheer her up. Luckily, it seemed like he succeeded. The princess was in a far better mood now than she was when he first came in.

He felt sorry for her, he truly did. To be so young and to be put through so much…

Revali cursed as he almost ran into someone.

“Watch it!” he snapped as he jerked back to avoid bumping into them. “What, are you a Zora or something? Watch where you’re going!”

The knight said nothing but continued walking steadfastly forward. Revali narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, you’re going to say anything to me?” he said tauntingly.

Silence.

Revali narrowed his eyes even further. The knight continued walking until he stopped in front of Zelda’s door. He inspected the door momentarily before turning around and standing at attention in front of the door.

“You know she doesn’t want to see anyone right now,” Revali drawled.

Silence _still_.

Revali blinked in surprise as he noticed the sword strapped to the knight’s back. “ _You_ ,” he said venomously.

He walked over to him and looked at him. He was short, even for a Hylian, and while his too-big helmet covered most of his face, Revali could still make out the lower parts of his face. A flat, yet determined frown was carved into his lips as Revali stepped around him.

If the knight showed discomfort at his proximity, he did not show it.

“…Link, was it?” Revali asked tauntingly as he brushed some nonexistent dirt off the knight’s otherwise spotless pauldron. 

“You know, I’ve heard a lot about you, or rather, about what you did,” Revali continued. He sighed. “Imagine! You’re just a poor farmer’s boy one night, and the next, you’re a royal knight! Are you excited? I know I would be.”

To his frustration, Link remained stubbornly silent. Maybe it was time to switch things up a little.

“You know what’s worse than a cocky, overconfident ass?” Revali asked, strutting away. “Someone who fakes modesty.” He turned and roughly prodded Link in the shoulder.

Save for adjusting his weight to keep his balance, Link remained stubbornly silent.

“You have the Master Sword! You’re the Chosen Hero! Show off a little! Why keep this…thing you have going on with this whole ‘not talking’ thing when you could be walking around, showing that the people of Hyrule have nothing to fear? You’ll be doing something useful for once in your life.”

Revali thought he saw Link’s gaze flicker towards him for a split second before snapping back forward.

“You know, you don’t deserve that sword,” Revali said, letting a little bit of his anger slide into his voice. “Do you know how many people tried and failed to pull that sword? Then you had to come along and make things worse for everyone, especially the princess."

_That_ got a reaction out of him. He flicked his gaze over to look at Revali out the side of his eye before returning his gaze to his front.

"You don’t deserve that sword. You’re just a nobody.”

He still refused to say a word. In fact, he refused to do anything. It was like he had turned into a statue.

Revali sniffed and ruffled his feathers as he strode away. “You’re just a worthless nobody!” he called over his shoulder. “You don’t deserve that sword!”

And then he laughed haughtily.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the day of the ceremony.

Zelda woke up just as the sun started to peek over the horizon and cast its light into her room. She muttered a curse as she opened her eyes and immediately squeezed them shut again as the sun shone its bright yellow rays directly into her eyes.

She huffed irritatingly as someone knocked on her door.

“Are you awake, princess?” Impa’s voice called. “Don’t forget about the ceremony today!”

Right. The ceremony. That _boy_ with the sword was supposed to be publicly inducted into the royal guard today. How could she possibly forget?

“I didn’t,” Zelda grumbled she sat up and glared at her visage in the mirror. Her hair looked like a Lynel’s mane this morning, and she knew it was going to take the better part of an hour to sort it out.

Yawning, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched lazily before standing up and staggering over to her wardrobe. The maids had already prepared a dress for already, which was fortunate since she would have to brush her hair out on her own. Luckily, there was no need to put any extravagant makeup on, or else she would have spent the entire morning in her room.

She slipped out of her nightgown and managed to wriggle into the dress before standing in front of the mirror and fussing over her appearance. Once she managed to tame the wild blonde mess that was her hair, she put it into a braid that rested on top of her head. She left the rest of her hair hang free, down to her back.

Her dress was, of course, mostly blue with a few patches of white lacy fabric draped over her chest, waist, and arms. A golden tiara rested in her hair. She adjusted it a little to make it look symmetrical before taking a deep breath and struck what was _supposed_ to be a regal pose but was more akin to sucking in her stomach to try and look as tall as possible as she clasped her hands in front of her waist.

She quickly gave up on the endeavor and glanced at the goddess statue behind her using the mirror. The statue was still a bit askew from her abuse from yesterday, and despite Revali’s advice from yesterday, she still closed her eyes and clasped her hands together as she uttered a quick prayer.

She wasn’t quite sure what she was praying for. Courage? Her powers? Luck? That she wouldn’t have to deal with her father or another breakdown today? Either way, Zelda finished her prayer just as someone knocked on her door.

“Princess, the ceremony is about to start!” a woman said. “Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m quite alright,” Zelda replied as she sighed wearily.

When she opened the door to leave her room, she was relieved to see _him_ gone. She had tried to sneak out of her room after her conversation with Revali yesterday. She was planning on stealing a few books from the library to help her forget about the day’s events, but unbeknownst to her at the time, _he_ had been standing directly on the other side of the door, so when she opened the door, she had almost ran face-first into his back, or more accurately, the gold and blue scabbard that housed _it_.

Zelda had almost shrieked but managed to catch herself before shooting him a withering glare and slamming the door in his face. She knew she was being childish, but she didn’t care.

As she made her way to the throne room, she kept an eye out for any sign of the boy. She knew he was probably getting ready for the ceremony, but her father’s words continued to linger in her mind.

_“My daughter, Zelda, is to be your charge.”_

How _dare_ he? She’s traveled the country for _years_. She didn’t need a chaperone. The last thing she wanted was a babysitter, _especially_ if the babysitter in question wielded that damned sword!

It wasn’t long before Zelda found herself standing before the doors to the throne room. She took a deep breath to calm herself and tried to erase the scowl on her face as she entered the throne room.

To her dismay, the sanctum was already filled with people. The low hum of conversations slowly ground to a halt as everybody stopped what they were doing to turn and stare at Zelda as she paused mid-step, caught off guard by the presence of so many people.

“You’re late,” her father’s voice rumbled.

Zelda looked up at where her father sat on his throne, on top of a dais. He looked back down at her with a look of complete and utter disapproval.

She tried to think of an excuse, but before she could do more than open her mouth, her father sighed and waved his hands. “No matter,” he said tiredly. “I’ll deal with you later.”

Zelda pursed her lips as she fought the urge to say something back to him. She didn’t like the sound of that, but she had no choice but to make her way through the crowd. The crowd parted wordlessly before her as she made her way up the dais to stand by her father’s side.

As she walked up the steps, she looked back for a moment and thought she saw Revali shooting her a pointed look from where he stood a little bit apart from the rest of the crowd. When she tried to look for him again, he was nowhere to be soon.

Frowning, Zelda silently took her place next to her father’s throne. He didn’t even bother to give her a side-glance as he rose from his seat to address the crowd.

“Welcome, noble citizens of Hyrule!” he proclaimed, spreading his arms apart. “I apologize for bringing you all here today on such short notice, but a stroke of luck finally seemed to have touched our kingdom a few days ago. The sword that seals the darkness has been pulled from its resting place and along with it, we have found its wielder. I present to you Sir Link Ruslsson from Hateno village!”

Zelda bitterly bit her lip as the doors to the sanctum burst open. The sun’s golden rays shone into the room, the morning mists still curling in the air. They seemed to whisper excitedly as a shadowed figure began to dutifully make its way across the red carpet and towards them.

As he got closer to the dais, the shadows fell away from his face to reveal a… _boy_.

He was wearing his usual set of armor, but this time, his helmet was carefully tucked underneath his left arm as he strode purposefully towards them.

The few times Zelda had interacted with him, he had always either been in full uniform or had his facial features covered by a helmet that was obviously much too big for him. Even the one time he wasn’t in full uniform when her father had first presented him to her, she was too busy glaring at her father and storming off to catch a good look at his face.

But now that she had no choice but to look at him, she was surprised at how… _unordinary_ he was.

His features were plain, though his large eyes were a startling sky blue. His long dirty-blonde hair was tied back with a red hairband into a short ponytail, though a few strands fell free to hang loosely by the side of his head. The rest of his body was covered by his armor, though there was no hiding the fine physique that only a seasoned warrior would have. He was remarkably short, being only a few inches taller than Zelda herself, which wasn’t saying, admittedly.

She had thought that he would be some sort of tall, muscular man, littered with scars from fights in the past, or an older, more experienced knight from one of the upper divisions. No matter what her initial thoughts were on the knight’s appearance though, she at least thought he would be taller.

Despite his diminutive nature though, there was no mistaking the look of duty and courage in his otherwise flat eyes and the sense of purpose and determination in his stride.

And of course, to top it all off, there it was, strapped securely to this _boy’s_ back as he stopped and knelt before her father. As her father began to list off the boy’s achievements to the hall, Zelda felt that all-too-familiar pang of anger in her chest as she looked at him again.

He was a _boy_! Barely older than her!

She spent almost _ten_ years trying to unlock her power, and some glorified, practically-prepubescent teenager had the _audacity_ to walk up, pull the sword from its pedestal, and try and _taunt_ her by flaunting that sword so freely at her?

The nerve!

Zelda jolted as her father turned to give her a withering look. She shook herself free of those bitter thoughts and silently cursed herself for forgetting her _one_ role in the ceremony as she picked up her skirts and hurried down the stairs to bless Hylia for providing them the Chosen Hero. Part of her couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly at the irony of that.

Of _course_ the princess who couldn't use her powers had to pray to the Goddess to thank her for providing them with the Chosen Hero who got _his_ powers by walking up to a glorified metal rod stuck in a rock and pulling really hard.

Though his head was bowed downwards the whole time, Zelda could have sworn she saw him shoot her a furtive glance as she descended the stairs. He continued to keep his head down as Zelda finished her sermon, but as soon as Zelda let her hand fall to her side, he looked up at her.

Zelda flushed as she met his gaze with hers, and it was all she could do to keep herself from screaming and hitting him. That look in his eyes was so…unfathomable. Flat, even stoic, one could argue.

It didn’t feel like he was looking at her form. It felt like he was looking at everything that made her _her_. Her mistakes, her past, her everything.

She couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. Was he annoyed at having to kneel before a failed princess? Was he silently cursing his luck for being assigned to protect said princess?

Somehow, she managed to control her temper long enough to look back at her father and nod, once, before lifting her chin and exiting the room. The boy moved, as if wanting to follow her, but ultimately decided to remain behind, kneeling, as her father sighed.

Even as the throne room closing behind her, Zelda could hear her father apologize to the hall of people for her sudden departure and to the knight for having his ceremony soured. Part of Zelda burned with shame, but the other part of Zelda wanted to get away from him, to run as far away as possible and never look back.

* * *

Somehow, Zelda managed to find herself standing outside Purah’s lab, outside the castle. She was still dressed in her royal gown, being too angry to return to her room to properly change into something a little bit more convenient, but at the moment, she didn’t care. She just wanted to get out.

She pulled on the brass door knocker and rapped it sharply, three times. The doors burst open as soon as she rapped the third time and Zelda yelped as _something_ flew over her head and landed with a crash.

“Sorry!” Purah called out, peeking her bespectacled face up from behind an overturned table. “That was just a minor bug!”

Turning to the other Sheikah scientist hiding next to her, she shouted, “Are you _daft?_ Are you _trying_ to get the princess killed, you buffoon? Get over there and apologize to her! And while you’re at it, fix that thing up! Those things cost money and that’s the one thing we don’t have!”

Zelda couldn’t help chuckling as the Sheikah scientist rushed past her, giving her a small and hurried apology as he tried to salvage what was left of the flying machine. Purah sighed in exasperation as she looked at Zelda’s dress.

“Honey, you _know_ that kind of wear doesn’t fly in the lab,” Purah said, _tsking_ disapprovingly.

“Sorry,” Zelda said, sheepishly smiling. “I was…busy this morning, and I forgot to change, apparently.”

“Fair enough,” the short Sheikah woman said, taking her glasses off to put them in her hair. “What’re you doing here though? Your father told us that you weren’t supposed to even leave the castle after what happened with those Yiga jerks.”

Zelda silently cursed her father. Of course he would try to limit her!

“He’s…come to a more agreeable solution,” Zelda said haltingly. “He’s going to be assigning me a knight to follow me around.”

“Whoa! Really?” Purah said, her eyes wide. “Do you know who he is?”

Zelda pursed her lips. “I,,,I would rather not talk about it. _He’s_ the reason I’m trying to hide here right now.”

Purah _tsked_ again and shook a finger at her disapprovingly. “Naughty naughty!” she said teasingly. “My lab is _not_ meant for playing hide-and-seek in, though I suppose I’ll make a special exception today…just for you, princess.”

Thank the heavens for Purah.

Besides her sister, Impa, only Purah knew what she was going through. Nobody else knew of how stressed Zelda was all the time because of her father and her responsibilities. Though Impa was more of a listener and a shoulder to cry on more than anything, Purah was the one who often thought of things to distract Zelda and make her better.

Zelda had no way to express her gratitude other than reaching out to give the woman a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Of course,” Purah said, smiling back momentarily before gently pushing her away. “But enough of that now! You’re ruining my makeup!”

“I thought you said you didn’t care what you looked like in the lab!” Zelda said, hiding a giggle behind her hand.

“I did!” Purah replied, stamping her foot. “But just because I don’t care how I look doesn’t mean you can go around touching my face and all that! Have some common courtesy, princess!”

Zelda laughed out loud this time. Despite her harsh words, she knew Purah never meant any of them. It was just how the woman showed her affection with everybody.

“So, did you discover anything new?” Zelda asked casually as Purah rummaged through a pile of scrap in the back of the lab.

“Oh! You sure _bet_ we did!” Purah said. She triumphantly pulled out a box and placed it in front of Zelda with an enthusiastic _snap!_

“What is it?” Zelda asked, looking at it questioningly.

“Open it up for yourself!” Purah said proudly.

Zelda did as she was told and frowned in confusion as she held up some sort of rectangular brick. It was made from the same materials as the walls that the shrines were made of, though a blue Sheikah eye glowed ominously on one side. There appeared to be a handle on one end and a black screen on the opposite side of the Sheikah crest.

“This…doesn’t answer my question,” Zelda said, hefting it in one hand to test its weight. It was surprisingly light considering the materials it was made of.

Purah rolled her eyes. “It’s something called a ‘ _Sheikah Slate_ ,’” she explained patiently. “Try touching the black part.”

Zelda gingerly prodded the screen with a single manicured figure and almost shrieked and dropped the slate as the screen suddenly lit up. Purah screamed as well as she dove to catch the slate.

Wincing at her bruised elbows, Purah glared at Zelda. “Are you _trying_ to get yourself kicked out of my lab?” she asked irritatingly. “Don’t go around dropping stuff, okay?”

“Sorry,” Zelda said, catching her breath. “I…just wasn’t expecting that to happen. What did I do?”

“You turned it on,” Purah said matter-of-factly. “Actually, you were the first person to successfully activate it without needing a whole bunch of equipment, so that’s interesting.” She brought a notepad from somewhere hidden inside her robes and jotted something down before hiding it again in her robes. Zelda didn’t want to know where.

“Okay, so basically, that slate was created from ancient Sheikah technology,” Purah explained. “All we know about it is that it apparently played a role in helping to seal the Calamity away. As for how it does that…” Purah shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“What do you want me to do with this?” Zelda asked, looking down at the slate and tapping a few icons idly. Most of them didn’t respond, but she did note how the slate seemed to react to her touch.

“Why, its yours!” Purah said.

“What?”

Zelda looked up in surprise. “It’s _mine_?” she repeated.

“Yep!” Purah replied cheerily. “The only thing we’ve figured out about it is that it can keep track of certain items and paint these really nifty drawings. It also has some sort of compendium, but it’s empty, probably because we haven’t taken any good pictures with it yet.”

Zelda perked her ears up. “Pictures?” she asked.

Purah gave her a devilish smile as she lifted the slate up to her face. “Do me a favor and say ‘click snap!’ for me, wouldja?”

“What?”

“Click snap!”


	9. Chapter 9

“So this is the Sheikah Slate,” King Rhoam rumbled as he turned the slate over and looked at it in the sunset’s dying light. “It doesn’t seem very remarkable to me, doctor.”

They were in her father’s office. It was late. The sun was setting. Truth be told, Zelda didn’t even know how long she had been away until a couple of royal guards had barged into the laboratory shortly after Purah had taken a rather ugly picture of a very surprised Zelda.

Purah had been more than upset at their “lack of common courtesy,” but decided she decided to tag along if only to show the king the Sheikah slate and give some emotional support for the princess.

Now, Purah and Zelda were standing together in front of the king’s mahogany desk. Zelda had remained mostly silent, content to clasp her hands behind her back and stare at the floor. Save for a pair of guards standing beside the door, the three of them were mostly alone.

_Mostly_.

Link steadfastly stood a few feet behind Zelda, slightly to her right. He had the sword’s tip planted firmly in the ground, his hands resting on the pommel. He still had that flat, blank expression on his face, though Zelda could have sworn he looked at her a few times when she first entered her father’s study.

In turn, Zelda had barely given him for than a fleeting glance and tried to pretend he didn’t exist, but she was keenly aware of the presence of the sword in the room. How could she not be?

Purah wrung her hands together behind her back. “It may not look like much, but from what we’ve managed to decipher from other ancient artifacts, this slate once played a crucial role in sealing away the Calamity.”

“So you say, doctor, yet I cannot help but notice that it appears to be rather unresponsive,” Rhoam said.

“That’s because it only seems to respond to the touch of the princess,” Purah said patiently. “If you were to let her—"

“Absolutely not,” Rhoam interrupted, furrowing his thick eyebrows. “My daughter is to stay as far away from these things as possible, and—”

“Father!” Zelda protested. “You said—”

“I said that you would be free to do as you please, but _only_ if Impa can keep you focused,” Rhoam said dangerously. “Not only were you late to Link’s knighting ceremony,” he gestured at the boy standing behind Zelda, “but you just _left_ and ran away to play with these…these trinkets!”

Zelda felt her face flush with anger. Of _course_ her father would care more about this _boy’s_ ceremony. He was the one who managed to unlock his power, not her.

Purah, sensing the beginning of another argument, interrupted her before she could do more than open her mouth.

“Your majesty, please!” Purah said shrilly “I understand that you’re upset at your daughter, but look on the bright side! If your daughter didn’t leave the ceremony, we would have never been able to unlock the Sheikah slate!”

“And why is that?” Rhoam asked.

“Because she is the only one who was able to use!” Purah exclaimed, throwing her hands up over her head. “Let me show you so you can see for yourself..”

Rhoam gave her a doubtful look as slid the slate over to her outstretched hand. Purah made a show of dangling the slate loosely as she tapped the screen with a single, manicured nail. Nothing happened.

“Now you try to use it,” Purah said, handing the slate back to Rhoam.

Rhoam gave her another look as he tapped the screen with his finger. Again, nothing happened.

“Nothing, right?” Purah said. “Now let’s see what happened when your daughter touches it.”

Rhoam looked down at the slate in his hands and looked back up at Zelda. Hesitatingly, he slid the slate to her over the table.

Zelda pursed her lips as she reached out to touch the slate. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the slate’s handle, it jingled and lit up. Rhoam’s eyes widened. He looked up at Zelda and Purah and back down at the slate.

“I see,” he said slowly. He sighed and clasped his hands together on top of his desk as he closed his eyes, thinking.

Zelda and Purah both gave each other nervous looks when he opened his eyes again and looked at the slate resting on his desk.

“I will…permit my daughter to use the slate,” he said haltingly. “But _only_ if you use it for…research purposes and as long as you remember your responsibility to the kingdom. If what you say about this slate is true, Purah, then I have no choice but to let my daughter use this slate.”

Purah squealed and jumped excitedly as she gave Zelda a tight hug. “See?” she said. “I told you he would change his mind! I told you!”

Zelda couldn’t help smiling at Purah’s infectious excitement. She gave Purah a light pat on the back as Rhoam’s frown deepened.

“If you are quite done, Purah, I would talk to my daughter. _Alone_ ,” he added pointedly.

Purah squeezed Zelda’s hands before she bowed respectfully. “Of course, your majesty,” she said.

The two royal guards standing behind them turned to escort Purah out of the study before leaving and closing the door behind them. Rhoam looked at Link and said, “As admirable as it is that you’re so devoted to your newfound duty, I’m afraid that includes you too, my boy.”

Link nodded and bowed respectfully before following after the other guards. Zelda didn’t bother turning around to watch Link leave. As soon as the door closed behind her, she took a deep breath and planted both of her hands on top of her father’s desk.

“You can’t be serious,” she said venomously.

“About what?” Rhoam said.

Zelda gestured at the door that Link just left through. “Him! He’s barely older than me! How do you know he’s able to use that sword? What makes _him_ so special?”

“Besides being the goddess’ chosen hero, he is one of the finest swordsman to have ever lived,” her father said, steepling her fingers in front of his face. “Legends say that there is a spirit resting inside that sword. Only they can choose the wielder. In every iteration of the legend, the sword’s master was always a warrior whose skill with the blade was outmatched only by his courage. If you’re afraid that he’ll be unable to protect you, then you have nothing to fear. He’s more—"

“I don’t care if he’s some farm boy from Hateno or one of your most trusted knights!” Zelda said heatedly. “I don’t care if he’s the greatest swordman you’ve ever seen. I don’t want him! I don’t want _anything_ to do with him!”

“And why is that?” her father said, frowning.

“Because he doesn’t deserve it!” Zelda snapped. “I have spent _nine_ years, praying every day for my powers. I spend hours, trying to prove my devotion to the goddess, yet this _boy_ shows up out of the blue one day, pulls out the sword, and all of a sudden, he doesn’t have to do any training and is supposed to babysit me?”

“Zelda—”

Zelda was too angry to let her father speak. “You always go on and on about how Mother was oh-so-diligent with her prayers and since I couldn’t learn from her teachings, I had to learn by her example by praying morning and night. Surely, if _he’s_ so important, then wouldn’t he be going through the same kind of training I’m going through right now?”

“He has,” her father rumbled. “He’s been learning how to wield a blade since he was a child, and—”

“And just because he pulled out a sword, that automatically gives him the goddess’ power?” Zelda interrupted.

“No, that’s not why I chose him to be your personal knight,” her father said. “I chose him—”

“Because he’s _successful_ in unlocking his power?” Zelda retorted. “That the reason you wanted to station him next to me so I can follow in his example?”

“No!” Rhoam said, looking shocked for once. “I—”

“Then explain why you said that he was supposed to replace my role as the ‘hope of Hyrule?’”

“Enough!” her father roared. Zelda shrank back, cowed out of her anger by his sudden outburst. Her father rarely rose his voice and lost his temper even less.

She pursed her lips together and sulked silently as her father sighed and leaned his elbows against the table. She watched as he took out a handkerchief from one of his coat pockets and dab at his forehead and nose.

“You have to understand sooner or later, Zelda, that the world is changing, and not for the better,” he said slowly. “It’s time that you stopped treating the Calamity like some sort of fairytale villain because it’s not. The Calamity is coming. Link’s arrival has all but confirmed that we are running out of time. I will admit that part of the reason I wanted Link to be your personal knight was so that you could possibly learn from his example and unlock your powers, yes. I admit that. I am not proud of it, but in our current situation, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Then, to Zelda’s surprise, her father reached under his desk to bring out a wine glass and a bottle. She watched as he poured himself a drink before tucking the bottle away under his desk.

“Truth be told, I dreaded meeting Link at first,” he said, taking a sip. “I was afraid of having my fears about the Calamity being confirmed, but as the king of Hyrule, I would have to face it regardless. The royal family of Hyrule has always been responsible for protecting our kingdom. It is our duty to put the needs of the many above the needs of the few, and sometimes, that includes our loved ones.”

Zelda balled her hands into fists as her father took another sip of wine.

“I know that I haven’t been the best father to you over these last few years, and I know that I’ve burdened you with a responsibility that would crush even the strongest of men, but as the king of Hyrule, I _have_ to put the needs of our people above our own. The night your mother passed away, I prayed to the goddess and asked why our family was afflicted with such a curse.”

Zelda’s breath hitched. “The goddess…talked to you?”

“No, not exactly,” her father sighed. He swirled the wine around in his glass for a few moments before speaking again. “I remember praying and turning in for the night, but when I woke up, it felt as if I remembered something that I once forgot. This…legend is cyclical. There is always the princess, the hero, and Ganon. The moment you were born, your fate was set in stone, as was Link’s. The Chosen Hero must always wield the sword that seals the darkness while the princess uses the goddess’ power to seal Ganon away.”

“Yes, I know,” Zelda said testily. “The legends haven’t changed over the last dozen or so times you’ve told me.”

“I keep telling you this because you don’t seem to understand!” her father said, raising his voice again. “You keep treating everything like some sort of game, another topic to brood over while you’re out and about trying to be a scholar.”

“Revali said that the reason I haven’t been able to unlock my powers was because I don’t enjoy praying,” Zelda said. “He said that I should focus on doing what makes me happy.”

“And unlike you, Revali has already mastered his abilities!” Rhoam interrupted.

Zelda looked at him in shock. Her father seemed to realize the harshness of his words since he sighed again and kneaded the bridge of his nose with his hand.

“What I mean to say is that what works for Revali doesn’t work for you,” he said. “Revali is a Rito. He enjoys flying because it’s in his blood. Link is the same. He grew up training to be a swordsman, so he became a knight. You, on the other hand, are constantly trying to be a scholar when the legends clearly say that only the princess with the goddess’ blood can seal away the Calamity. _Princess_ , Zelda, not scholar. Yes, perhaps in another time, your skills at studying ancient artifacts could be useful, but right now, we _need_ your powers if we are to survive the battles to come.”

When Zelda remained silent and stared sullenly at the ground, her father sighed again and finished the last of his wine.

“I’ve already made preparations for your trip to the Eldin and Lanayru region,” he said, thumbing the rim of his glass. “You may take the slate with you. Link will also accompany you, and I expect the two of you to be civil to each other, at the very least. I cannot and will not stop you from studying any ancient relics you happen to find on your journey, as long as you return to the castle safely. Once you return, then we’ll discuss your training.”

“Fine,” Zelda snapped, turning deftly on her heels and walking away. Before she left the room, however, she turned back momentarily to snatch the Sheikah slate off her father’s desk.

Her father looked like he wanted to say something else but decided against it and instead elected to lean back in his chair as he gazed pensively after Zelda as she left his study. To her surprise, Link was standing outside the door, next to one of the royal guards. As soon as she opened the door, he was beside her in a flash.

“Back up,” she snapped, brushing past him. “You may be my bodyguard, but you _don’t_ need to smother me. You’re to stay a minimum of three paces behind me, do you understand?”

When no response came forth, she stopped and turned towards him. “Do. You. _Understand?_ ” she asked again, accentuating each word with a rough poke to his shoulder.

He blinked, his expression unchanging as always before he nodded, once.

“Good,” Zelda said, sniffing. She turned away again and began walking away. As she walked, she thought about the trip to Eldin, calculating how long the trip would take, the potential candidates, among many other things. She felt rather than heard Link following behind her, three paces away like she asked. His footsteps were remarkably quiet, even in those heavy boots.

“We will be leaving for the Eldin region tomorrow morning,” Zelda said to Link without looking over her shoulder. “I understand that your…duty requires you to protect me. Thus, I expect you to be ready by the time the sun rises.”

She knew she was being unfair, making him get up so early, but one look at the sword on his back erased any and all feelings of sorriness she had for Link.

Link escorted Zelda all the way up to her room. As she entered her room, she paused to look at Link.

“You don’t need to follow me everywhere,” she said, somewhat exasperated. He’s been following her around for less than a couple minutes and she already felt smothered. Was this how it was going to be every day from now on?

“As long as I am in the castle, I am as safe as anyone can possibly be. So go do…whatever it is you do in your spare time.”

Link nodded. Then, to Zelda’s surprise and displeasure, he slipped the sword off his back and planted its tip into the carpeted ground as he stood at attention outside her door.

“I meant anywhere _but_ here,” Zelda said pointedly.

Link simply looked at her but and rose an eyebrow, possibly the most she ever saw him emote. For some reason, that raised piece of bushy hair caused Zelda to flush red with anger.

“You know what? I don’t care what you do. Just don’t come in!” Zelda snapped, slamming the door shut.

She stood on the other side for a few moments, heaving. She knew she was being childish, but at the moment, all she wanted to do was to get that _damned_ sword out of her face.

It occurred to her that she hadn’t written in her journal for some time. Maybe she should continue to exercise that habit. She looked down at the darkened slate in her hands.

Or maybe she could try to delve deeper into the slate’s secrets. Try and figure out its inner workings.

After a moment of deliberation, Zelda rested the slate on her desk and reached for her journal. Now the question she had to answer was how to put her thoughts and feelings over the last few days into words.

* * *

_Journal Entry #85_

_It’s been a few days since I’ve last written in this journal. A lot has happened over the last few days. For one, the sword has been found. Its master is a boy named Link. I don’t like him very much. I don’t want anything to do with him._

_It’s unfair, outrageous even, that I’ve trained for years to try and unlock my sealing power and all he did was walk up to a sword and pull it out of a rock. Of course, I know that he’s spent nearly his entire life learning how to use a sword, but it doesn’t make feel any fairer, especially since my father seems to favor him over me._

_He even said that he was supposed to replace me as the “hope of Hyrule,” as he called it. I’ve never felt so ashamed of my own failures, yet here Link was, doing absolutely nothing and everything at the same time, it feels like._

_Speaking of my father, we had another argument today. Purah and I managed to convince him to let me have near-full access to an artifact called the Sheikah slate. I have yet to delve into its inner mysteries, though I plan to do that sooner or later._

_As for the argument between my father and me, it was more or less the same. He wants me to focus on my training, that I’m too busy playing at being a scholar, and that I’m treating everything like a game. The usual._

_He did, however, say that he would allow me to study any ancient relics I find on my journey, though I know that the chances of finding anything other than a few Guardian parts are minuscule at most. After that, he said that we would “discuss” my training._

_I don’t know what to make of that, but I don’t want to think about that right now._

_Tomorrow, I leave for Eldin, or rather, my shadow and I leave for Eldin. He’s supposed to follow me everywhere now, which has already gotten tiring, but I have no intentions of abandoning him in the wilderness. I get the feeling he’ll still manage to find me anyways._


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Zelda met Link in front of the castle gates. He was running a hand over his horse’s muzzle when Zelda roughly dropped her bags in front of the royal white stallion that belonged to her. Startled by the sudden noise, the beast snorted and tossed its head as it took a few steps back.

Link simply looked at her and nodded to greet her as he dutifully stooped down to pick up her bags and strap them to her horse’s saddle while simultaneously trying to soothe it. While his back was turned, Zelda glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

She knew she was being unreasonable, getting so irritated by the mere sight of Link, but she was tired and was already in a foul mood. Truth be told, she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep last night. Instead, she stayed up looking through the Sheikah Slate, trying to decipher its secrets. Though her body ached for rest, her efforts proved fruitful and she discovered how to access more of the displays in the ancient device.

Despite her discoveries, there was still much to discover about the slate. Fortunately, she could take her time browsing the slate while on horseback. Plus, it would give her another reason to ignore Link.

Zelda yelped as a sudden gust of wind almost blew the slate out of her hands. She scrambled to catch it before it fell onto the cobblestone ground.

Once she managed to catch it, she irritatingly asked, “Do you _have_ to do that?”

“Do what?” Revali’s voice said oh-so-innocently.

Zelda shielded her eyes as Revali gracefully landed in front of her. Startled again, Zelda’s horse tossed its head as Link scrambled to keep the animal calm.

Revali smirked at Link’s troubles. “You doing alright over there? Looks like you could use a wing!” he called, making no move to help him.

Link steadfastly ignored him.

Revali scoffed and rolled his eyes. “ _He’s_ supposed to be your bodyguard?” he asked derisively.

“I’m afraid so,” Zelda replied, making no attempt to lower her voice. Part of her knew that what she was doing was cruel, but she was too tired to care.

“You know, he was already up and about by the time I got up,” he said, somewhat nonchalantly.

“What do you mean?” Zelda asked, yawning.

Revali looked back at her. “What do you think?” he asked sarcastically. “He was already out here waiting for you by the time I got up.”

Of _course,_ he would go out of his way to follow her orders to the letter. Just another way to remind her that she wasn’t anywhere close to fulfilling her own responsibilities.

“And why were _you_ up so early?” she asked.

“The sun makes looking at the snow unbearable back at the flight range, so I usually wake up as early as possible so I can get in as much training before the sun rises,” Revali explained. “Plus, it gives me some time to myself before my admirers inevitably start crowding me.”

Zelda shook her head in exasperation. Of course, Revali would have his admirers. “And what does him waking up before you have to do with anything?” she asked.

“I’m just saying,” Revali said defensively, raising his hands. If he was aware of the sudden venom in her voice, he did well to hide the fact. “He probably got even less sleep than you. How do you know he won’t go around falling asleep on the job?”

“Are you actually _worried_ about him?” Zelda asked, surprised.

“Of course not,” Revali snapped. He glared at Link again. “Something about that boy doesn’t sit right with me. He’s…too quiet. Too young. It seems outlandish that a nobody like him could walk up to the sword and pull it.”

“Tell me about it,” Zelda grumbled as she unslung her backpack over her shoulder and set it on the ground. As she rummaged through the bag’s contents, she said, “I work every day for nine years and he just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He probably hates being assigned to me. After all, what would a _famed_ hero be doing, protecting a failed princess?”

“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Revali said, resting a wing on Zelda’s shoulder. “You’re trying. That’s all that matters. As for whether or not he hates you…I don’t know about anything that goes on between those pointed ears of his, but you’re only asking to get hurt if you make assumptions about his thoughts.”

Zelda pursed her lips. “And what are you doing here?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, just minding my own business,” Revali said airily. “Thought I should see the princess and her _appointed knight_ off.”

He somehow managed to make turn those two words into an insult, and Zelda couldn’t help but relish in the connotation, as cruel as it was.

“Are you asking to tag along?” Zelda asked, somewhat teasingly.

“Of course not,” Revali said snidely, ruffling his plumage. “I got other places to be. Back home, to be precise.”

“You’re flying back to Rito Village?” Zelda asked curiously. She stopped rummaging through her pack to look up at Revali.

Revali nodded. “There’s some…business I need to take care of. I have a feeling that once you get back from Eldin and Lanayru, I won’t be able to see the village for…quite some time.”

“You’re feeling homesick,” Zelda realized.

“What? No!” Revali snapped, glaring at her. “Honestly, if I could forget about that warbler’s nest forever, I would. No, I simply wish to return home to retrieve some more supplies, as well as to get in some actual archery practice.”

“Hyrule Castle is home to some of the best training ranges in all of Hyrule,” Zelda said, raising an eyebrow.

“For Hylians, maybe. Not Rito,” Revali explained. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s so…unsatisfying to shoot a target and _not_ have to shatter into pieces. These…dummies those silly stick-throwers you called archers use are so…childish. Plus, there’s no verticality! How’s a Rito not supposed to feel cramped when he can’t even fly while practicing?”

“Sounds like you just have unrealistic expectations of people,” Zelda murmured as she returned to rummaging through her pack. “Or maybe the standards you set for yourself are too high.”

Revali harumphed as he gave Link another disdainful look over his shoulder. Zelda yanked out a metal bottle and uncapped it. As Zelda carefully uncapped the bottle, a strong odor wafted up from the bottle’s lip. Revali gave her a suspicious side-glance.

“You’re really going to drink that?” he asked, making no effort to hide his disgust.

“It’s just coffee?” Zelda replied, somewhat confused.

“Exactly!” Revali said. “Don’t you know how bad that stuff is for you?”

“As long as it keeps me awake, I don’t care,” Zelda grumbled, taking another sip.

“Whatever.” Revali rolled his eyes. “Just don’t come crying to me when you inevitably give yourself a heart attack.”

Zelda gave Revali another confused side-glance before rolling her eyes and taking another sip. When she felt awake enough to stop herself from yawning, she closed the bottle and shoved it back into her knapsack.

Link had managed to calm Zelda’s horse down and was now waiting dutifully next to it, one hand holding onto the reins and the other behind his back. As Zelda approached him, Link moved to help her mount, but Zelda stopped him with an upraised hand and said, “I’m more than capable of mounting a horse on my own, thank you very much.”

Link blinked, once, before nodding and stepping back. Revali sniggered as Zelda struggled to get herself into the saddle. Mounting a horse was hard enough without being as _vertically challenged_ as Zelda.

When Zelda finally managed to seat herself comfortably on her horse’s back, she gave Revali and Link a triumphant grin. “I told you,” she said, somewhat smugly.

Revali simply rolled his eyes and gave her an unenthusiastic slow clap as Link silently walked over to his own horse and, in one fluid motion, pulled himself into the horse’s saddle. Zelda watched as Link shift around in his saddle until he was comfortable whereupon he looked at Zelda and tilted his head as if asking _now what?_

Zelda couldn’t explain why, but she suddenly felt her face flush red as she furrowed her eyebrows and looked away.

“Stay safe, Revali,” she said as she snapped her horse’s reins.

“You too, princess,” Revali replied casually. He stepped back to let the animals pass by him.

As Link’s horse brushed past him, Revali suddenly reached out to grab Link by the ankle. The youth looked down at Revali, first with surprise, then with annoyance, then with that same-old blank stare.

“You keep her safe, you hear me?” Revali said, squeezing his ankle. “If anything happens to her, I won’t hesitate to shoot you down, and I _never_ miss.”

Link simply nodded before reaching down and, with a strength that betrayed his other delicate features, forcefully pried Revali’s wingtips off his ankle before spurring his horse into a light canter to keep up with Zelda’s.

Revali swooped up to the castle ramparts to watch them go, ignoring the startled cries of the guards as he flew over them. He watched until they were no more than a speck on the horizon, and even then, he remained perched on the rampart until they disappeared over the hill.

* * *

“We should stop here,” Zelda suggested. “The horses will need rest and water.”

Behind her, Link’s horse immediately came to a step before she heard the light scuffing of his boots hitting the dirt floor. Zelda slowly dismounted her horse, being careful of the Sheikah slate she precariously held in one hand.

The moment they left the castle town behind, Zelda had immediately brought out the Sheikah slate and started to scroll through it as they rode. Though she couldn’t discover anything new about the slate yet, it was surprisingly entertaining to flit through the multitude of displays and read all the entries logged by its previous owner.

As Link led the horses to water, Zelda tore her eyes away from the Sheikah Slate to rest her eyes. She had been staring at the device for hours now, and her eyes were starting to burn. She took the liberty of seating herself on a nearby stump and stared at the incredible view of Lake Kolomo and the Dueling Peaks in the distance. It really was quite a site.

To avoid running into any ceremonious pomp, Zelda had elected to take a detour that put them well off the main path. While it technically made the journey longer, it would have taken them more time to skirt around other travelers. Zelda was too easily recognizable on account of her unique golden hair, and by avoiding as much contact with passerby, it would also reduce the chances of them encountering any Yiga.

Plus, taking the detour allowed them to observe sights such as this.

Remembering how Purah showed her how to take a picture, Zelda brought out the slate and snapped a still of the landscape.

As expected, the picture managed to capture the beauty of the landscape. As Zelda saved the picture, the slate started to vibrate in her hands and made some sort of odd beeping noise.

Startled, Zelda hurriedly closed the picture-taking rune and tapped wildly on the screen, trying to find the issue. From where he was kneeling by the river, Link looked back at her, concern etched on his face.

“Ah-ha!” Zelda exclaimed triumphantly after a moment of searching. “Here it is!”

There was an odd symbol on the bottom half of the screen, towards the lower right corner. The words “ _Artifact Nearby”_ flashed whenever Zelda took a step in any direction. The more steps she took in a particular direction, the louder and more intensely the beeps became.

“It’s trying to locate something!” Zelda realized. “The closer we get to it, the more intense the clicks become!”

Running towards Link, she excitedly showed him the display. “See? This slate appears to be capable of detecting any materials or creatures you want to find, as long as it’s within a certain radius. Imagine the possibilities if we could fully understand how it detects such objects. Does it search for them based on their molecular composition, or their mass? Maybe it sends out some sort of sonar pulse, like a Zora’s but through the ground and air instead of water. Or maybe…”

With how excited she was, Zelda didn’t even realize she had been droning on nearly a full minute until she noticed that Link’s eyes had glazed over and was now standing idly in front of her, waiting for her to finish and not actually taking in a single word of what she said.

She broke him out of his stupor, however, when she said, “Stay here! I’m going to go find it!”

Link blinked in surprise and reached out to try and grab her, but he was too late. Zelda had already taken off. He sighed before hastily tying the horses’ leads around a nearby tree before he ran after her. By the time he caught up to her, she was standing on the roadside next to a local garrison.

There were people gathered around her, pointing and whispering curiously, but Zelda ignored them as she kneeled and examined the relic, an odd disk-shaped ring. It was partially buried under the ground and Zelda knew the chances of her forcefully prying it out of the dirt was unlikely, so she just examined it.

Frowning, Zelda pointed the slate towards the relic. As expected, the beeping grew louder and more insistent despite the relic remaining inert.

“Nothing,” Zelda said, disappointed. The relic was cold and lifeless, just like all the other relics. “It seems like the slate is only capable of determining the location of objects, not it's status. A shame. It seems like this slate has its limits after all.”

Like all the other artifacts, the relic was made of some sort of black stone, though this one was flecked with dirt after being buried for so long. The stone felt like ceramic but has yet to crack under even the sharpest or bluntest of instruments. Whatever fractured this one must have possessed immense power.

Zelda couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of something be powerful enough to shatter such a durable and enduring material. Yet there was one other question she couldn’t answer.

All the signs pointed towards Ganon’s return. The Divine Beasts were being uncovered, what few Guardians they had managed to excavate were coming online, and the _bloody_ Master Sword had chosen its master, for Hylia’s sake.

Why weren’t these relics becoming functional as well? All the signs and requirements needed for them to activate were fulfilled, right? What were they waiting for?

There _had_ to be an answer somewhere, but it would have to wait until Zelda could do more research on the matter. For now, she had a mission.

Turning around and dusting her pants off, she was surprised to see Link standing a few paces behind her. He gave her a look of confusion before wiping his expressions away and glancing pointedly towards the horses.

Zelda sighed and planted her hands on her hips as she glared at Link. “You didn’t need to follow me, you know. I was perfectly safe.”

Link glanced at the crowd behind her before snapping his gaze back to her.

_Oh, so now he has a sense of humor?_

“Whatever, it’s fine,” Zelda said as she pushed past Link. “At least it means you’re serious about your job. I take it the horses have been properly secured before you chased after me?”

He nodded.

“Good. We should resume our journey then,” Zelda affirmed as she walked back towards where Link had tied the animals.

They had run a surprisingly long distance, Zelda realized as she became aware of the ache in her legs. She had never been particularly athletic, being a princess and all. While she could run without collapsing, full-on sprints like the one she just did were a bit much for her.

She stared down at the ground as she listened to Link’s footsteps behind her. Despite his recent exertion, he barely showed any signs of tiredness, despite wearing his armor when he was chasing after her. Zelda couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for him.

Zelda shook her head. No, he was the sword’s chosen wielder. It was only right that he should have to work a little harder, right? Right? Definitely nothing wrong with that statement at all.

To distract herself from those thoughts and to erase the feeling of uneasiness of feeling his gaze on her back, Zelda began to babble out loud, mostly to herself. If Link happened to overhear her, then so be it. She doubted he would reply anyways,

“From here, we’ll make our way to Goron City,” she muttered. “I’ve heard the most promising candidate is a Goron warrior named Daruk. Hopefully, he’ll be willing to lend us his aid. While he is a formidable warrior, it’ll take more than sheer muscle to control Rudania. While we’re there, I suppose it would be beneficial for us to see if we could help in the excavation process, and if I manage to learn more about Rudania, it’ll help us better understand the other Divine Beasts. A win-win situation either way.”

As she walked, she flipped through different displays on the slate. It was supposed to be a distraction from her thoughts and Link’s silent but menacing presence behind her.

“But to think that the Divine Beasts were built by _people_ ,” Zelda murmured. “That _theoretically_ means that we should be able to understand how they work and use them to our advantage. These Divine Beasts...there’s still so much we don’t know, but if want to seal away the Calamity, they’re going to be our best hope. There’s almost nothing on them in the castle archives, which is unfortunate. I can only hope that this slate would have something on them. It makes logical sense, right?

She was scrolling through a compendium of sorts. Countless objects, materials, and creatures were listed in neatly arrange boxes with a corresponding number. There were even some monsters that she had never seen before.

What in Hylia’s name was a Poe?

Noting that monster’s particular page number, Zelda kept scrolling through the compendium until she saw a familiar object that made her pause. It was the Master Sword, embedded in its pedestal in the middle of some ancient forest.

It was not Korok Forest, she’s been in the enchanted woods enough times to know how it looks. The trees in the picture looked far darker, taller, and intimidating. Zelda could even make out some ruins behind the sword.

What made her fully pause, however, was the description below the image.

_The legendary Blade of Evil’s Bane. Its blade gleams with a supernatural power that can oppose all evil and seal away the darkness. Only a hero chosen by the spirit residing within the sword itself may wield its awesome power._

Zelda’s hands shook as she turned the slate off.

_So all the legends about a spirit living inside the sword were true…_

Behind her, Link took another step before adjusting his position to be three paces behind her. He, of course, remained silent.

“Tell me the truth,” Zelda said, hoping that he would break his silence just this once. “How proficient are you wielding that sword on your back?”

When Link remained silent, Zelda turned to look at him. It was a foolish question, she knew. Of course, he was a master with the sword. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be allowed to even touch it, much less carry it.

“Legend says that there an ancient spirit resonates within it,” Zelda continued, pressing the question. “Can you hear it yet, _hero?”_

Link glanced over his shoulder at the Master Sword’s hilt before giving Zelda that same old impassive look he always wore. Link opened his mouth to say something before deciding against it and closing it again.

Zelda didn’t mean for the honorific to come out so resentfully, but it still felt wrong. It was presumptive, but Zelda still couldn’t shake off the feeling of _unfairness_ that always seemed to surround her mind whenever she looked at the blade.

Link was barely older than her and was already entrusted with a responsibility that she herself could barely wrap her head around. Maybe Revali was onto something regarding Link. Did simply pulling out the sword really make him a hero?

“No,” he replied, after enough time had passed to cause Zelda to be surprised when he spoke. This was the first time she heard him speak in response to one of her questions, and hearing his voice was…odd.

It was deep, much deeper than she expected out of someone so diminutive looking, but it was also soft and quiet enough that Zelda had to strain her ears to make sure that he actually spoke. There was a hint of an accent behind his words, slight but apparent. Zelda couldn't place where she had heard it, only that it sounded familiar. His voice also sounded rusty, probably from lack of use, which was unsurprising, but Zelda was still caught off-guard by the raspiness of his vocal cords.

Frowning, he reached up to unsheathe the Master Sword. He held the naked blade out in front of him, letting the pearly white steel bask in the sunlight.

“There…is no _voice_ , but the sword is alive. I can feel it.”

His jaw shifted and his eyebrows furrowed together as he placed the sword back in its scabbard, and Zelda knew she wasn’t going to get anything else out of him.

Not that she expected to. The hard part for _him_ was already over. Now all he had to do was lug that sword around and watch Zelda fail over, and over, and over again. 

He was a _hero_ pinned to a failure of a princess who couldn't even do the most basic things she spent her whole life training for. He should be out there, chasing skirts and basking in his rightfully-deserved glory. Instead, here he was, pinned to her, forced to do her lowest bidding.

There was no doubt in Zelda's mind that Link hated her. How could he not?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the delay. going through a lot right now

Zelda didn’t try to speak with Link again for the rest of that day, electing instead to browse through the Sheikah Slate. Link, of course, made no attempt to talk as he rode dutifully behind her. They still had a ways to go before arriving at Goron City, so when they began to set, Zelda decided to set up camp near Baltrea Lake.

While Link set up the campfire and cooked dinner, Zelda sat in her tent and continued to scroll through the Sheikah Slate’s compendium. Every so often, she could look up and look at Link diligently stirring the cookpot.

Link would always sense her gaze, however, and look her way, still with that flat, blank expression. Zelda would then hurriedly avert her gaze.

Dinner that night was silent. Link remained silent as always while Zelda pretended to harbor an intense fascination with her meal.

She didn’t have to try very hard. Link was a surprisingly good cook. Despite the simplicity of the meaty rice balls, their taste and quality exceed even that of the castle cooks’.

Link, however, only made enough food for Zelda. He ate some sort of mixture of nuts, dried fruits, and jerky he kept in a small bag tied to his waist. While Zelda dug into her rice balls, Link leaned against a tree and kept a watchful eye out for any danger. In the shadows, his features were nearly indiscernible, though Zelda knew he was still wearing that blank expression.

When Zelda finished her rice balls and looked down at her empty plate, wishing for more, Link shifted and stepped into the campfire’s light. Zelda watched him as he took her mess kit out of her hands and began to wash them in a nearby stream.

“You don’t need to do that,” Zelda said, her voice hoarse from nearly an entire day of not speaking. “I can wash my own dishes, thank you very much.”

Link said nothing and continued his task, almost as if he didn’t hear her.

Zelda rolled her eyes as she stood up. “Thank you for the meal,” she said primly, dusting off her pants. “It was surprisingly high quality, considering the fact that _you_ of all people made it.”

As the words left her mouth, Zelda cringed. She didn’t mean to sound so arrogant or haughty, but she meant it. She was not expecting someone of Link’s position to be such a good cook.

Seeking an escape from the awkward situation she created, Zelda said, “Let’s review the plan again, shall we?”

She brought out the Sheikah Slate and tapped on the “map” function. She had managed to discover that particular aspect of the slate earlier that day and was already beginning to see the usefulness of such a function. While some of the roads were _vastly_ outdated, the important things were there.

“We’re a bit further South than I would like,” Zelda said, showing Link the slate, who gave it a glancing look over his shoulder before turning his head around again. “Unfortunately, that’s the cost of avoiding attention. Tomorrow, we’ll follow the road North, cross the Eagus Bridge, and continue North until we reach Death Mountain’s Maw. Once we’re there, we’ll spend the night in the inn nearby and stock up on fireproof elixirs before hiking up Death Mountain. If everything goes to plan, we meet with Daruk, he agrees to be Rudania’s pilot, we stay a few days to help out the excavation process, and then we hike back down.”

When Zelda finished and looked back up at Link, he was still crouched by the stream, his back turned towards her. Frowning, Zelda asked, “Did you get any of that?”

Silence.

“Of course not,” she huffed. “Of course, they had to assign the mute dullard to me.”

She immediately regretted say that. Despite her resentment and feelings of bitterness towards him, it still felt _wrong_ to insult him so blatantly, though she wasn’t sure why.

She _wanted_ to hate him and she _did_ hate him, but it felt unjustifiably wrong and cruel to talk so contemptuously to his face. She didn’t feel this way when it was her and Revali whispering about him, but now that she was alone with him…it didn’t seem right, and she didn’t know why.

If Link was hurt or took offense to her jab at him, he did not show it. Instead, he simply shifted and put away Zelda’s mess kit before taking his place next to the smoldering remains of the campfire to keep watch.

Though his posture was relaxed, if alert, Zelda knew that their conversation of the night, if it could even be called a conversation, was at an end. Scooping up the Sheikah Slate and holding it to her chest, she murmured a quiet “good night” to Link as she ducked into her own tent.

They had brought only one tent and that was for Zelda’s privacy. Once she had properly closed the tent flaps behind her, she slipped into her nightclothes and brought out the tiny little Goddess statue she always brought with her whenever she traveled outside the castle.

Revali had told her to stop praying, but it seemed wrong to just stop something that she had spent the last nine years of her life doing. She still prayed every day and every night, but now it was with nowhere near the same amount of conviction as before.

Maybe that was why the Goddess refused to grant Zelda her powers because she wasn’t faithful enough. She wasn’t devoted enough.

But she had spent so much of her life dedicated to the goddess and suffered so much. If that wasn’t enough, then what was?

With these heavy thoughts in mind, Zelda clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and began to pray. Outside, Link listened to her words as he closed his eyes and silently uttered a small prayer of his own.

* * *

Zelda woke up early the next morning. As she yawned and crawled out of the tent, she was caught off-guard by the site of Link already awake and preparing food.

When Link looked up from the cooking pot and took in the sight of Zelda still in her nightdress, he hurriedly averted his gaze as he continued his stirring. Zelda flushed a deep scarlet red as she ducked back inside the tent to change into her traveling clothes.

When she ducked back out, Link was already done cooking and presented her with a bowl of broth.

“You’re up early,” she noted idly as she accepted the bowl. “Do you always get up around this time?”

Silence.

“Don’t know what I was thinking, expecting you to answer” Zelda grumbled under her breath.

Despite the broth’s simplicity, it smelled amazing. Zelda’s stomach began to grumble as she began to eat.

She was in a particularly bad mood. Zelda had never been a “morning person.” It didn’t help that her prayers last night had gone unanswered (again) and had spent most of the night tossing and turning.

Link, on the other hand, looked surprisingly well-rested despite probably getting even less sleep than Zelda. After handing Zelda her bowl, Link began to clean up after himself and break down the camp.

When Zelda was done with her broth, Link wordlessly took the bowl out of her hands and washed them in the stream before storing it in a bag that was already tied to the horse’s back. In fact, the more Zelda looked around their campsite, the more amazed she became at Link’s efficiency.

The campfire was doused, the horses were already saddled and ready for travel, and the campsite was arranged in such a way that it was nearly impossible for anyone to tell that they had been here. In fact, the only sign of their presence was the bright white and royal gold of Zelda’s tent, and even that disappeared in less than a few moments as Link expertly broke it down and stored it in his horse’s saddlebag.

After giving the campsite one last lookover, he planted his hands on his hips and nodded, satisfied. Realizing that he was waiting for her, Zelda hurriedly stood up and mounted her horse. “Right,” she said. “Let us be off.”

The day’s traveling was uneventful, boring even. Link rode his horse silently behind Zelda’s as she continued to scroll through the Sheikah Slate.

The entire time they traveled, Zelda could feel Link’s eyes boring a hole into her back. She didn’t bother to turn around, to ask him what was going through his head. It was off-putting how well Link was able to mask his expressions.

Zelda considered herself to be somewhat skilled at reading other people’s emotions based on their expressions, but with Link, she got nothing. It made her vaguely…uncomfortable. The only other time she had felt this way was when her father treated her to his signature look of disappointment and dispirit.

She hated it.

The sun was beginning to set when they finally heard the trademark song of a stable. Zelda released a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

“We’re almost there!” she said, sitting up in her seat. “Let’s go!”

Before Link could stop her, she spurred her horse into a light canter towards the stable, leaving Link behind in the dust. As she rode into the small town, she didn’t bother to slow down. People cried out in surprise and threw dirty glances towards her as she hurriedly dismounted her horse, tied it to a post outside the inn, and dashed inside the inn.

Zelda wasn’t sure why she was suddenly in such a hurry, but she was desperate to escape the constant gaze on her back, if only for a few moments.

Of course, as soon as the thought passed through her mind, she heard the people outside cry out again, the startled whinny of a horse, and the sound of armor jangling against each other as Link forcefully pushed open the door and stood in the doorway, heaving ever so slightly.

The innkeeper peeked over Zelda’s shoulder and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You with her?” she asked.

For once, that blank expression was absent on his face, though as soon as he locked eyes with Zelda, he took a deep breath before nodding at the innkeeper and walking back out.

“So…” the innkeeper, a stout-looking matron, said slowly. “I’m assuming two separate rooms?”

Zelda nodded, grateful that she didn’t ask any questions. “And if you can, put us as far away from each other as you can.”

The innkeeper looked at her over the rim of her glasses as she tipped them down. “That’s going to cost you extra, honey.”

“I’m prepared to pay for it,” Zelda said determinedly.

“Eighty rupees.”

Zelda couldn’t help but frown at the exorbitant price. As if amused at the sour expression on Zelda’s face, the innkeeper chuckled. “I _did_ warn you, dear.”

“I suppose you did,” Zelda said, her words clipped. “Here is—wait a moment, where is—”

Zelda clenched her fists and bit back the urge to curse as she realized that her coin purse was still outside in her horse’s saddlebags. In her haste to avoid Link, she had forgotten to bring her coin purse along with her.

“What’s the matter?” the innkeeper asked. “Can’t pay up?”

Zelda decided that she was liking this particular inn less and less, but it was the only inn near the maw of Death Mountain. It would be suicide to camp outside, especially with how hazardous Death Mountain was to non-Gorons and the recent rise of monster attacks in the area.

As if summoned by her plight, Link pushed open the doors again, two bags slung over his shoulder. Zelda didn’t turn, though the innkeeper peeked over Zelda’s shoulder to look at Link, eyebrow raised.

Link silently picked out some rupees and set them on the counter in front of her. “One room, please,” Link said quietly as he hefted up one of the bags.

The innkeeper made a show of counting out all the rupees as Link continued to bear the weight of the two bags. Finally, with a gleam in her eye, she grinned and clenched the gems in her hand as she stood up.

“You really lucked out, girly,” she said to Zelda. “I’ll show you to your room.”

Zelda gave Link a dirty look that he brushed off before following the innkeeper. Left with no choice, Zelda sullenly followed behind them.

“Here you go,” the innkeeper said, stopping in front of a door. “Don’t you two lovebirds break anything. We have _standards_ here.”

Zelda was about to protest that she and Link were _not_ “lovebirds” and that they were probably the furthest thing they could be from lovebirds before the innkeeper cackled and strode way. If Link was fazed by the comment,

There was a single, narrow bed tucked into the room’s corners. As Zelda walked into the room and cast a concerned glance at Link as he walked into the center of the room and carefully dropped the bags onto the floor before inspecting the window, the door’s lock, and even checking under the bed.

“What are you doing?” Zelda asked as Link went up to the wall and did _something_ to it.

Link simply ignored her before nodding, apparently satisfied. He pressed a key into her hand and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Zelda stared after him. She considered locking the door, but that felt unnecessary once she heard the rustling of armor and wood on the other side of the door as Link leaned back against it.

Why ask for only one room? Surely, it wasn’t because he was trying to be frugal. Even if Zelda hadn’t seen how his coin purse bulged, she was literal _royalty_. She could have bought out this entire inn if she wanted to.

Zelda cracked open the door and peeked outside. She watched silently as Link unstrapped the Master Sword from his back and planted its tip into the wooden floor, feet spread apart and shoulders squared as he warily watched a trio of drunk women stagger past him.

“Ooh, what’re you doing out here?” one of them cooed as they looked lustily at him. “Wife kick you out? You should come with us! We'll show you a _good_ time.”

Link ignored them until the women lost interest and moved on. As they disappeared around the corner, he slightly relaxed his shoulder before straightening up his back, tipped his chin up, and let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Zelda shut the door as quietly as she could, though she had a feeling that Link had known she was there the entire time. Zelda locked the door and dropped onto the stiff bed.

She looked at the Sheikah Slate on her bed. Now that she thought about it, it was a strong possibility that Link had also trained with the Sheikah. It would make sense, considering his loyalty to the crown and ability to remain unreadable.

Zelda bitterly clenched her fists. Of course, he would have trained with the Sheikah. Unlike her, _his_ training actually manifested itself in ways people could see.

She wasn’t tired yet and she felt no desire to cry, so she brought out her journal, slumped onto the desk, and began to write.

* * *

_Journal Entry #86_

_We set out for Goron City today._

_I can still feel his eyes on me as we traveled. It’s uncomfortable, to say the least. The feeling stayed with me so long, I began to grow anxious and weary whenever he was even near me. It’s the same feeling I’ve felt before whenever my father scolded me._

_He’s still as quiet as always. I can count the number of words he’s spoken so far on a single hand, and that bothers me. I feel like I can never figure out what he’s thinking!_

_It makes my imagination run wild, guessing at what he’s thinking but will not say. What does he think about me? Will I ever know? Will he ever tell me?_

_I suppose the answer should be simple. He’s the chosen hero, chosen by the sword, trained by the Sheikah, and a prodigy at the sword. He’s also a surprisingly good cook, but that’s irrelevant._

_How could he, a famed swordsman and hero, not despise me? I’m a daughter of the royal family yet unable to use sealing magic…he must despise me. He has to._

_I know I do._


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the delay and lack of creativity in this part, kinda hard to write characters that don't have a whole lot of depth

The next morning, Zelda found herself gaping up at Death Mountain. Everyone had heard the stories of the Eldin peaks and their monstrous scale, but now that Zelda was physically standing at the base of one of the largest mountains in all of Hyrule, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t experiencing any misgivings.

Since the terrain would be too rough for the horses, they decided to leave them behind in the inn’s stables. That meant, however, that everything they need, they would have to carry themselves.

Zelda’s shoulders already ached from the rough backpack straps digging into her shoulders and she was certain her spine was crumbling under the weight of her backpack, and that wasn’t even mentioning the heat! It was still early in the morning and the sun had yet to fully rise, yet Zelda could already feel a thin layer of sweat building itself on her skin.

As she dabbed at her forehead with a handkerchief, she snuck a glance at Link standing beside her. Instead of being strapped to his back, the Master Sword hung loosely from his waist. Like her, he also wore a large backpack over his shoulders, possibly even larger and heavier than hers. He was still wearing his armor, but despite the extra weight of the armor, the backpack, and the heat radiating off from the mountain, he looked absolutely unfazed.

Zelda couldn’t help but be impressed by his fortitude. It was almost comical, seeing such a diminutive figure with such a large pack on his back.

“Well, I suppose we should be off,” Zelda announced, gripping her shoulder straps. “The earlier we leave, the less we’ll have to deal with the sun.”

Link simply nodded as she began to take the first step of many that day. He followed after her, silent as always.

* * *

Zelda had never experienced such agony before. She felt like her legs were made of Chu-Chu jelly, her shoulders burned from the backpack straps cutting into her skin, and the _heat_.

By the goddess, Zelda had never felt _so_ hot. It felt like she would never experience cold again. She doubted she’ll be able to wash the sweat out of her clothes.

Link fared much better than her despite being much more encumbered. The entire time they climbed, nary a word nor sound passed his lips. In fact, only the sound of his footsteps behind her reminded Zelda that he was still with her, not that she cared.

That being said, there was still a shiny coating of sweat on his brow. Though he made no sound of complaints, Zelda could see how tightly he was clenching his jaw, how strained each step was for him.

For some reason, it was fascinating seeing Link being pushed. Part of her knew that it was borderline sadistic to derive so much pleasure from seeing someone’s suffering, but whenever she saw the Master Sword’s strapped to his waist, the age-old feelings of resentment would return.

When her legs couldn’t stand another second of walking, Zelda hurriedly dropped her backpack from her shoulders and let it lay there.

“I…I think we should take a break,” Zelda panted, looking around for a place to sit.

Part of her knew that sitting down was a foolish idea. There was no way of knowing if she could even get back up again, but Zelda couldn’t stand the crushing weight of her backpack any longer.

A particularly round rock caught her eye. Before Link could stop her, she scrambled up its surface to sit on the top. Sighing, Link also dropped his backpack and rolled his shoulders though he remained standing. He was still wearing his armor, complete with the ornate helmet resting on his head.

She couldn’t see his eyes from under the shadows of his helmet, but she knew he was looking around intently.

Zelda watched the Master Sword’s scabbard swing loosely from his waist for a few moments before tearing her gaze away. Trying to distract herself, she brought out the Sheikah Slate only to stare at it, confused.

“We’ve…we’ve only been hiking for thirty minutes?” she asked, flabbergasted. “We’re barely a tenth of the way there!”

Link simply stared at her.

“The heat must be playing havoc with the Sheikah Sensors, right?” Zelda said hopefully as she slapped the sides of the device. “There’s no way we’ve been traveling for only thirty minutes! It felt like…like an hour, at least!”

Zelda looked at Link in surprise when he quietly murmured, “Your majesty, such talk is unbecoming of your duties.”

Zelda felt her face burn and had a feeling it wasn’t just because of the heat. As if sensing her anger, Link hastily bowed his head and averted his gaze.

Seeing Link so cowed caused Zelda to pause before she could give him a good tongue-lashing. She wanted to yell at him, profess her indignity at being addressed in such a way, yet…it felt unfair.

He obviously didn’t want to be here anymore than she wanted him to follow around, yet here he was—tied to her by duty and fate. It seemed wrong to yell at someone when they had no choice in the matter.

It was what her father would do.

Zelda closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. She fanned ineffectually with her face with her hand.

Feeling parched despite the fireproof elixir partially negating her thirst as one of its side-effects, she reached down to grab her waterskin from the top of her backpack but froze as her fingertips touched…hair?

Frowning, she looked down and was surprised to see more patched of this odd hair sticking out of the rock she was sitting on.

“What is this?” she asked curiously as she wrapped a tuft of it around her fingers and pulled. Hard.

A sudden groaning sound emanated from the rock as Link spun around, hands flying to the Master Sword’s hilt. Underneath Zelda, the rock began to shift and rumble.

Zelda yelped in surprise as the “rock” suddenly rose into the air and with a mighty groan, a Goron unrolled himself, stretched his powerful limbs, and yawned.

Zelda realized that the “rock” she had been sitting on was actually the Goron’s back and the tufts of hair sticking out of its surface was just that: hair. A mighty white beard and mustache curled itself around the Goron’s face while more tufts stuck out of his shoulders and forearms.

Zelda balked as she realized that her grip was slipping and desperately tried to scrabble up the Goron’s back to maintain a grip. She yelped again and squeezed her eyes shut as she fell.

Link moved to catch her but before he could even take a step, a rocky hand materialized under Zelda’s rump and neatly caught her before she could hit the ground.

“So _you’re_ the little rockgrub crawling on me,” the Goron said jollily as he gently set Zelda down. Jollily was the only word to describe the Goron’s tone. Unlike most of the other races in Hyrule, it was seemingly impossible for a Goron to feel anything _but_ jolly.

Despite the rockiness of the Goron’s skin, his touch was oddly warm and gentle. Zelda stammered out an apology as Link put himself between her and the Goron. His sword was still sheathed but even under his helmet, Zelda could tell he was sizing the Goron up.

The Goron was easily twice their height and judging by the size of his prodigious belly, probably more than four times their weight even when combined. He wore nothing but a ragged cloth loincloth held up by a couple of black-iron chains. The Goron Emblem was imprinted in a padlock resting over his wide chest.

His blue eyes looked at them in confusion then suspicion as he rubbed his chin with a massive hand.

“Y’know, _you_ kinda look familiar,” he said, pointing at Zelda. “You too,” he added after looking at Link. “Can’t place my finger on it, but I can’t shake the feeling I’ve seen you two before.”

Zelda gave Link a look of concern. He didn’t meet her eyes, opting instead to keep his gaze concentrated on the Goron.

“If I may so forward, what were you doing here?” Zelda asked, somewhat timidly. It was nerve-wracking, talking to someone whose entire forearm dwarfed her body.

The Goron narrowed his eyes. “Can’t really talk about it,” he said gruffly. “It’s a secret. Royal stuff.”

“But…I’m the princess,” Zelda said, stepping out from behind Link. She ignored the look he was undoubtedly giving her as she stepped in front of him and peeled her hood back to reveal her golden hair.

“You’re…the princess?” the Goron asked slowly. He frowned and rubbed his chin again. “No, that’s not right. The princess is supposed to be with Link. Y’know, the little guy that pulled the sword and all?”

“That’s him,” Zelda said, tightening her lips.

Of course, they would start to link her identity to _his_.

Stepping aside, she ordered Link, “Show him the sword.”

Link did as he was asked. In one smooth motion, he unsheathed the sword and held it in front of him.

The Goron’s jaw dropped in shock before grinning and reaching out towards Link. He barely managed to sheath the Master Sword before he was enveloped in the Goron’s massive, coiled arms. Zelda cried out in surprise, caught off-guard at the Goron’s sudden assault before she realized that the Goron was actually hugging him, not trying to squeeze the life out of his body.

“Ah, it’s been a while, little guy!” The Goron said. He released Link momentarily before clapping him on the back hard enough to cause the world to shake around Zelda.

Zelda was afraid for a moment that the Goron had broken his back but Link simply winced and staggered forward a few steps before giving him a small, barely noticeable smile as he stood back up.

“Speaking of which, sorry to hear about your dad,” the Goron said somberly, kneeling down. “It ain’t fair, what happened to him. I’m glad to see you out and about though.”

Link said something to Daruk. Zelda was unable to hear his words before the Goron chuckled and patted him on the back, much more gently this time

“Glad to hear it, little guy,” the Goron said. “I always considered your dad to be a brother. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you took after him too.”

Link something else to the Goron and this time, Zelda was able to make out her name and “Divine Beast.” The Goron looked at her, then back at Link, then back at Zelda again before widening his eyes in surprise and dropping down to his other knee.

“Oh, sorry little princess!” he hastily apologized. “Er, guess I was caught up in the moment seeing the little guy here again after so long. Didn’t mean to ignore you or anythin’!”

“It’s alright,” Zelda said, smiling. “It’s only natural that you’d be so excited to see…him.”

She gave Link a pointed look. If he noticed her glaring at her, he ignored it and resumed his stance behind her, though he was much more relaxed than before.

Zelda looked back at the Goron as he stood back up and offered her a massive hand for a handshake.

“The name’s Daruk,” he said, grinning. “Pleasure to meet you, little princess. Heard a lot of things about you.”

Despite the smile on his face, Zelda couldn’t help but sense a feeling of unease in those big blue eyes of his.

“All good things, I hope,” Zelda replied, giving Daruk her own smile. “If I may ask again, what were you doing all the way down here?”

“Er, I got word that you and Link would be visiting me to talk to me about some Diving Beast or something,” Daruk explained. “Thought it would be easier for the two of ya if I met you closer to the base of the mountain instead of making you climb all the way up.”

Daruk shrugged as an unfamiliar expression flashed over his face. With a start, Zelda realized that he was feeling _abashed_.

“Normally, us Goron like to sleep a lot higher up on the mountain since it’s a lot warmer, not that we sleep much to begin with. Guess it’s just what happens when you get old. Sorry that your first impression of me was me resting in the gravel.”

“It’s quite alright,” Zelda said again, though she meant it genuinely this time. “Thank you for being so considerate of us.”

“Ah, it’s nothin’. Consider it a sign of brotherhood between us,” Daruk said, giving her another smile before his expression grew serious again. “So I’m guessin’ you’re here to talk to me, right?”

Zelda nodded. “I was planning on traveling to Goron City to meet with you and to help oversee Rudania’s excavation, but since you decided to make the effort to make our trip easier, I suppose we could talk here instead.”

“Sure, why not?” Daruk agreed, shrugging. The motion caused his chains to rattle. “I know a pretty easy trail for you Hylians. It’s always good for these old bones to do some ground-padding instead of rolling or lying around all the time. Shouldn’t take too long.”

“Oh, alright,” Zelda said. She glanced over her shoulder at her backpack lying dumpily on the ground. “Should we…?”

“Hm?” Daruk looked at the backpacks. “Oh, leave ‘em. No need to make the trip harder, eh? Besides, we won’t be going very far.”

“Very well then,” Zelda said, clasping her hands behind her back. “Lead on then.”

* * *

True to his word, Daruk led them down a side path that was much more level and easier to navigate than the main trail. While Daruk and Zelda advanced ahead, Link remained behind them, though he kept a much greater distance from Zelda than normal, which she appreciated.

As they passed by a large boulder on the side of the pathway, Daruk paused to stop and reach over it to uncover a massive sword. To call it a sword would have been a bit of a stretch though.

The materials of the weapon were rough, being made of simple stone and ragged metal, but the craftsmanship was undoubtedly of a superior level despite the simplicity of the design. The edges were dull and blunt but what it lacked in sharpness, it more than made up for in sheer weight.

Zelda watched in fascination as Daruk effortlessly swung the weapon around before placing it in a sheath on his back. Daruk turned to give Zelda a wide grin.

“Real pretty, ain’t it?” he said. “I call it the Boulder Breaker. Made it myself.”

“A mighty name for a mighty weapon,” Zelda complimented. “I’m a bit surprised by the complexity and nuances in its design.”

Daruk looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I’m assuming that Gorons don’t care much for bladed weapons since your hands and strength would make such concerns trivial,” Zelda said, babbling somewhat as she ran a finger under her chin. “Of course, I’m just assuming since I have yet to personally see a Goron fight. I’m sure there must be another practical reason for the Gorons’ weapon designs, but ignoring the cultural and subjective biases, your weapon has quite a bit of depth to it. Your immense strength would undoubtedly be enough to make short work of most enemies, but by adding the shaped metal at the tip of the blade, it utilizes simple physics and centrifugal force to further augment its offensive capabilities. Would I be correct in assuming that?”

Daruk scratched his head, lost by Zelda’s jargon. He looked back at Link but the little guy simply shrugged a shoulder half-committedly.

“Uh, right. Definitely!”

“Interesting.”

She resisted the urge to reach for her notebook. The paper would just burn anyway.

“Anyways, let’s get back on top of the rock,” Daruk said, eager to avoid having to think about complicated words like ‘centrifugal.’ “So there’s this big evil thing called Calamity Ganon coming to destroy us all, right?”

Zelda nodded.

“And to stop him, all we need are these four Diving—”

“Divine,” Zelda corrected.

“Sorry—Divine Beasts, a bunch of Guardians, you, and Link with the Master Sword?”

Zelda wished he had omitted that last part.

“Yes,” she said frostily.

“But in order to control these Divine Beasts, you need pilots for them,” Daruk continued, frowning into his beard.

“Correct.”

“And you want me to pilot Rudania.”

Zelda nodded then said, “I understand if you feel…underprepared for the task, that there must be someone else. I know I would if I were in your position. I also understand if you wish to deny my father’s proposition. This will be a difficult and treacherous task, but this is the plan that our ancestors used ten thousand years ago and it’s the best plan we have.”

“Well count me in then, tiny princess!” Daruk suddenly exclaimed.

Zelda looked up at him, caught off-guard by how casually he accepted her request.

“Are…are you sure?” Zelda asked. “Like I said, there’s no guarantee that any of us will survive, and—”

“I’m the fearless Daruk!” he said, clenching a hand to emphasize his words. “I took an oath as Hyrule’s self-proclaimed shield, after all! If Hyrule needs my help, then I’ll gladly lay down my life.”

Zelda wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Part of her was shocked at just how easily he stepped up to his duty. Another part of her couldn’t help but admire his courage and willingness to lay down for a cause he just learned off, and yet another part of her felt jealous at how casually he regarded the whole situation. She spent her entire life preparing for the Calamity’s return and yet here was Daruk, happily accepting his task without a hint of hesitation or remorse.

She pushed those thoughts down. It wasn’t right thinking that way. Daruk was obviously much older than her. He probably had decades’ worth of experience fighting and risking his life for others. This was no different. It just happened to involve the end of the world.

In the end, she decided to reply with a response that catered to all three. Clasping her hands to her chest, she looked up at Daruk and gratefully said, “Thank you, Daruk! I knew you wouldn’t let us down. I wish I had your courage.”

“Oh, it’s nothin’ special,” Daruk replied, giving her a wide smile. “People always ask me if I’m _the_ Daruk, the mountain warrior, boss of the Gorons, lord of the Eldin mountains, all that crap. You wanna know the truth? I’m none of that. I’m a protector, not a warrior—or at least that’s how I like to think.”

“What do you mean?” Zelda asked curiously. “You’re obviously a great warrior. That’s part of the reason why my father chose you as one of the pilots after all.”

“Eh, that’s not what I’m talkin’ about,” Daruk said, rolling a shoulder uneasily. “See, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Hyrule and its people, but that’s about it. I won’t pick a fight for the sake of picking a fight, even if I know I’ll win. It’s just in my nature, y’know? I protect people but that’s about it.”

Zelda _had_ to admire his candidness. As she looked at the frown on Daruk’s face and the distant stare in his eyes, she knew what he said was the truth, or at least what he believed was the truth.

There was no sense of false self-modesty, no deliberate self-deprecation of his achievements. He honestly believed what he said about himself.

It was commendable, to say the least.

Daruk blinked in surprise as the princess laid a tiny hand on his arm.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing being a great warrior wasn’t the only criteria we were looking for in our pilots,” Zelda said, giving him a reassuring smile. “Every other pilot so far has had some kind of personality quirk unique to them. Revali’s is unlimited confidence bordering on arrogance, but he more than makes up for that with his work ethic and dedication to mastering himself. Urbosa has an unbridled sense of fury and pride held back by an equally unbreakable spirit. You, Daruk? You have heart. You’ll have the biggest heart of all the other pilots, I can already tell. You know what’s right and what’s wrong, and you’ll always do the right thing, even at the cost of yourself. _That’s_ why we chose you. Not because you’re a great warrior, though you certainly are, but because your morals are the most grounded out of all of us.”

Daruk remained silent for a few moments. Zelda removed her hand from his arm and pursed her lips, resisting the urge to wipe her hands clean. It would seem rude, especially after saying everything she just said.

After a few silent heartbeats, Daruk shrugged again. “Well, if you say so,” he said slowly. “Us Gorons have never been good at this ‘feelings’ stuff, so I apologize if I put a damper on your mood, princess.”

“It’s alright,” Zelda replied. “I know, more than anybody, how it feels to doubt yourself.”

Daruk made a gruff noise of agreement before changing the topic.

“Well, let’s get back to the point. I accept your proposition. I’ll gladly sign up to be Rudania’s pilot. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll roll the rest of the way there.”

“I’ll keep you briefed,” Zelda promised.

They continued walking, unsure of how to resume their conversation. In an attempt to break the awkward silence, Daruk cleared his throat and said, “Not sure if it’s Calamity Ganon’s fault or what, but I hear monsters have been attacking people more than ever lately. With times like these, you shouldn’t leave the castle without a horde of mighty Gorons to watch your back.”

Zelda dipped her gaze as she was reminded again by the presence of the Hylian walking dutifully behind her.

“You sound like my father,” she murmured, wringing her hands. “He assigned _him_ to watch over me wherever I go.”

“So that’s why he’s here with you,” Daruk realized, looking over his shoulder at Link silently walking behind them. “I always thought it was odd that they slapped you two together, especially since both of you are so important to this big plan of yours.”

“Yes, well, it seems like fate has drawn us together,” Zelda murmured, making no attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice.

“You don’t like him a lot, do ya?” Daruk asked suddenly.

Zelda blinked at his sudden insight before pursing her lips and looking down at the ground. Her steps slowed to a halt. Link stopped almost immediately but Daruk continued forward for a few steps before realizing she was no longer with him.

“It’s…complicated,” Zelda confessed. “He’s supposed to be the most accomplished swordsman in all of Hyrule, not to mention that he has the sword. He’s done so much at such a young age, yet here he is, following me around because of my father’s orders. It doesn’t feel right with me.”

_I don’t like it. I don’t like him._

She wanted to stamp her feet at the unfairness of it all but refrained. It was childish and she was a princess.

“I see…” Daruk mused, stroking his beard. “Yeah, I see where you’re coming from.”

“You do?” Zelda asked hopefully. “I’ve thought for the longest time that I was the only way who felt this way about him. It’s comforting to know that someone else shares the same misgivings I—”

“You’re worried if he’s up to the task,” Daruk continued, accidentally cutting her off though he seemed not to notice. “And you’re worried if he’s just to get up and roll away without saying a single word, right?”

Zelda stiffened.

Daruk threw back his head and laughed at her reaction, though she knew he meant no malevolence. He was just mistaken, that was all.

“Trust me, tiny princess, the last person to abandon his duty would be the little guy. He’s obedient to a fault, that guy. If you’re worried if he’s responsible enough to protect you, don’t worry. He’s _more_ than capable of doing his job.

“That…wasn’t what I was referring to,” Zelda muttered. Then, in a louder voice, she put on a fake smile and brightly said, “Oh, that’s good, I suppose.”

Luckily, Daruk failed to notice her faux happiness and continued to laugh as they resumed walking. He suddenly stopped, however, and put up a massive hand to halt Zelda in her tracks.

He muttered a curse into his beard before murmuring, “They really are all over the place these days, huh?”

“What is it?” Zelda asked, peeking over Daruk’s hand.

Behind them, Link’s frown deepened, and he reached over his shoulder to grab the Master Sword’s hilt.

“Bokoblins,” Daruk replied as a group of the pig-like monsters appeared in front of them.

They were dressed only in scrappy leather loincloths. Even from this distance, Zelda could smell their stench. A few wielded crude clubs and spears, most namely the leader of the group, a blue bokoblin.

The blue bokoblin snarled at the rest of his pack before sniffing the air, suddenly interested. At the same time, one of the red bokoblins that had climbed onto a boulder in front of them cheered excitedly, beckoning the others over.

“Is someone being attacked?” Zelda asked, concerned.

“Most likely,” Daruk growled. “Those cowards always attack in packs. You stay here, princess. _I’ll_ deal with them myself!”

Before Zelda could stop him, Daruk dashed forward. Link hurriedly ran over to Zelda and planted himself in front of her. He drew the Master Sword from its sheath and held it defensively in front of him as the blue bokoblin sniffed the air again and stiffened as Daruk roared a fearsome war cry.

The blue bokoblin only managed to turn halfway as Daruk descended upon it. It widened its orange eyes in surprise and squawked in alarm before Daruk’s Boulder Breaker slammed into its side.

The Boulder Breaker slammed into it with such force that Daruk was able to keep swinging, catching another unlucky Bokoblin before physics took effect and flung the two screaming monsters hundreds of feet into the air.

The rest of the pack quickly turned on Daruk. Zelda cried out Daruk’s name as one the Bokoblin closest to Daruk thrust its spear into his abdomen.

Before the weapon could connect, however, a translucent, luminous red orb appeared around Daruk, deflecting the attack. The spear shaft cracked in half and the Bokoblin staggered back, clutching at its splinter-filled hands.

Snarling, Daruk lifted the Boulder Breaker up over his head before bringing it down onto the earth in a massive, ground-shaking strike. A magnificent plume of dust sent the rest of the Bokoblins flying into the air. The lucky ones landed hard on their backs and scrambled away, screaming in fear. The unlucky ones were blown straight off the side of the mountain.

In the dust, Daruk growled menacingly and straightened up as he glared at the fleeing Bokoblins. Two of them clumsily clonked their heads together and fell on their rumps, confused, before getting to their feet and following the rest of their brethren.

“Spineless cuccos!” Daruk yelled after them, shaking his fist. “No monster stands a chance when fighting me, the almighty Daruk!”

He lifted the Boulder Breaker up to rest it on his shoulder, threw back his head, and laughed, loud and hard.

As he laughed, Zelda and Link ran up behind Daruk. Link’s eyes flitted over the carnage for any additional signs of danger. As soon as he was satisfied that the Bokoblins were well and truly driven off, he gave Daruk a nod of approval before sheathing the Master Sword.

Meanwhile, Zelda looked behind the rock and made a small sound of surprise. A dog stared back at her with doleful eyes. She reached towards it but the dog barked and snapped at her hand, forcing her to withdraw.

At the sound of the dog’s bark, Daruk suddenly stiffened. Link seemed not to notice and peeked over Zelda’s head as she cooed soothingly.

“Don’t worry,” she said softly, holding out her hand again. “You’re safe now. No need to be afraid.”

Realizing that the girl kneeling in front of it meant no harm, the dog sniffed curiously at her fingertips before barking again and pounced on her. Zelda sputtered but couldn’t help but laugh as the dog eagerly licked at her face.

“It seems our furry friend here was the one being attacked,” she said, trying in vain to fend off another wave of the dog’s kisses. “Precious boy! You saved his life, Daruk.”

When Daruk failed to respond, Zelda looked back to see Daruk standing nervously behind Link. He looked fearfully at the dog, and when the dog barked he screamed and cowered his head. The Boulder Breaker landed with a thud on the ground as the luminous red orb appeared around his body again.

Zelda simply looked at the cowering Goron with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

“Wow.”

* * *

“Good riddance! And…and stay safe!” Daruk called out as the dog ran away. At the crest of the hill, the dog turned one last time and barked excitedly at them before disappearing over the jill.

Shaking his head, Daruk looked down at Zelda and bashfully said, “Sorry you had to see that side o’ me, princess. As a kid, dogs always chased me. I still panic when I see one o’ those critters. Guess I’m not so fearless after all.”

“I never thought that the great Daruk would have such a weakness,” Zelda said teasingly.

Embarrassed, Daruk looked away and took a sudden interest in his hand.

“…so tell me, princess.”

“Yes?”

“Calamity Ganon…uh, he’s not some kind of dog monster, is he?”

Zelda looked at him in surprise before the sheer absurdity of the question hit her. She snickered and before they knew, both the Goron and the princess were laughing heartily in the Eldin heat.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for a lackluster chapter this time around but I was in a writing mood at 3 am so I banged this one out in a few hours. hope you'll enjoy a little bit of light-heartedness

“Sorry you can’t take a look at Rudania right now,” Daruk said apologetically as he ushered Zelda and Link back down the mountain. “It’s still partially submerged in a bunch of lava at the bottom of death Mountain’s crater, so work is going pretty slow on it. Even us Gorons can’t stand that level of heat.”

“It’s alright, I understand,” Zelda said, though she couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice. “Maybe the next time I visit, Rudania will be fully excavated.”

“Yeah,” Daruk agreed, nodding slowly. “Maybe next, you guys’ll pack lighter. We may not look it, but we Gorons will always take care of visitors. Especially since you’re the princess and all.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Zelda said, giving him a small smile.

They continued the rest of their journey down the mountain in silence. Unlike the uneasy silence Link and Zelda always shared on their travels, the silence between Daruk and Zelda was more comforting. There was no need to guess what the other was thinking.

As they neared the inn they had stayed in the previous night, Daruk broke the silence again by clearing his throat and asking, “So now what?”

“Well, we originally planned to stay in Goron City for a week or so to help oversee the excavation process,” Zelda said, bringing out the Sheikah Slate. Now that they were out of the blistering heat, the Sheikah Slate was functioning properly again, though the material it was made of still felt cool to the touch despite the arid environment around them.

“Obviously, that’s out of the question now,” Zelda continued, unaware of the confused look Daruk gave the Slate. “Since that opens up our schedule by a considerable amount, there’s no harm in arriving at Zora’s Domain a few days early.”

“I see,” Daruk murmured, stroking his beard. “That’s…that’s of a walk, you know. Don’t do anythin’ reckless.”

“Will you not come with us?” Zelda asked, a little bit hopefully. “I understand it must be terribly forthcoming for us to make such a request, but it would be safer for both of us if we traveled together.”

Daruk shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. I don’t like the water too much. Makes moss grows in places you don’t want moss to grow. Plus, there’s…some ‘stuff’ I gotta take care of here, y’know? Gotta let everyone know and stuff.”

“Oh,” Zelda said, disappointed. “I see.”

“Don’t worry though,” Daruk added upon seeing her crestfallen expression. He knelt down and rested a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. “As soon as everything’s good here, I’ll meet you two back at the castle. I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” Zelda said, looking up into Daruk’s big blue eyes. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Daruk.”

“You too, tiny princess,” Daruk replied, standing back up. He looked around for Link and gave him a lopsided grin when he saw the knight lurking shiftily in the shade of a tree. “And don’t think I forgot about you, little guy!”

Daruk strode over the Link and rested a hand on his shoulder, the same way he did with Zelda. “Sorry for ignorin’ ya after finally seeing you again, but duty calls, y’know?”

Link shrugged and said something inaudible to Zelda.

Daruk simply chuckled and patted him on the back before straightening back up. “Don’t know what else I was expectin’ out of you. Take care of the princess for me, will you? And send your dad my regards.”

Link nodded. “I will.”

Nodding back, Daruk took a deep breath and looked towards Death Mountain. “The world’s shifting,” he said. “Soon, nothing’s going to be the same anymore. It’s up to us to make sure it stays livable for the future. I’m glad to be a part of it, princess, I really am. I’m honored you chose me as one of your pilots.”

“And I’m honored you chose to accept,” Zelda replied. “With you by our side, we’re one step closer to surviving the battles to come.”

Daruk chuckled again before waving them goodbye, tucking himself into a ball, and rolled away. She wasn’t sure how Daruk was able to roll uphill, but she watched as the cloud of dust faded into the distance.

When Daruk was gone, she turned her head upward and squinted at the sun, calculating the time. To her surprise, it was already late afternoon.

The hike up Death Mountain and her ensuing talk with Daruk must have taken a lot longer than she though since the sun was already beginning its descent. She swiftly brought out the Sheikah Slate and tapped on it a few times, thinking.

“It’ll take us about three or four days to reach Zora’s Domain,” she mused. She began to pace back and forth, a common habit of hers when she was deep in thought. “Hopefully the Zora will be willingly to see us so soon, especially if we leave tomorrow morning and follow this road South…yes, yes, that should work.”

Turning towards Link, she dumped her backpack on the ground in front of him, narrowly missing his toes. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning,” she ordered before walking back towards the inn. “Go make yourself useful and prepare the horses for tomorrow’s journey.”

Link rose an eyebrow at her preposterous request. There was no need to prepare the animals so far in advance, they both knew that, but Link simply nodded and trudged towards the stable, burdened by the weight of two backpacks on his back.

Inside the inn, Zelda casually tossed the innkeeper some rupees and strode towards her room. As she passed by the front desk, a sign next to the door caught her eye.

“’ Complementary Bath Springs,’” she read. “Huh. Fancy that.”

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” the innkeeper asked, pushing up her glasses. “They’re the reason why anybody ever comes here! The springs here are—”

“—heated by geothermal heat from Death Mountain,” Zelda finished absentmindedly. “I’m aware.”

“Then you might be interested to hear that we’re offering a special deal tonight!” The innkeeper shot Zelda a piercing glare. “And I _know_ you’ll enjoy it.”

“How so?”

She smirked. “Each spring is separated by gender.”

“Hm…that is tempting,” Zelda admitted, looking over her shoulder through the window. Through the tainted panes, she could faintly see Link dutifully feeding the horses and preparing them for tomorrow. As if sensing her gaze, Link momentarily stopped to look around before resuming his task.

A few hours away from his menacing presence and that silent, judging eyes of his? Plus a soak in one of Eldin’s springs?

“Alright, you had my curiosity at first. But now you have my attention.” She brought out her coin purse. “How much?”

* * *

Zelda sighed as she sank into the heated waters. Even the baths in the castle didn’t hold a candle to this!

Sure, she might have servants washing her hair for her and the scented soap may have smelled lovely, but there were few things able to replicate the feeling of soaking in on Eldin’s famed hot springs! To say it was blissful would have been an understatement.

It was _perfect._

What made the experience even better was the fact that she was completely and utterly _alone_ despite the innkeeper’s claims of there being a special offer tonight. She didn’t mind though. Call it a result of being self-conscious of her own body or being raised as a princess, but Zelda would normally have been against sitting in a pool naked with other people, even if they were all women.

She paddled around in the water for a few minutes under she found a suitable place to sit whereupon she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before she felt her eyelids slide shut and she drifted off into a relaxing slumber.

…

She woke to the sound of angry knocking on the door. Startled, she splashed around in the water before managing to find the edges of the pool where she had put her towel.

Spluttering and coughing out some water, Zelda called out, “Yes? What is it?”

“Tell your boyfriend to get the _fuck_ out of the way!” the innkeeper’s voice screeched back, irate. “He’s been standing outside for half an hour now and stopping all the women from going inside!”

Zelda paused in the middle of drying herself off as she processed the innkeeper’s words. “I’m sorry, my _what?_ ”

“Your little friend!” the innkeeper shouted. “The one that doesn’t say a whole lot? Follows you around? Yeah, _him_! Tell him to leave and to let in the customers!”

“Of course he would,” she scowled after muttering a very unprincesslike curse under her breath. No wonder why the springs were so empty today despite the special offer tonight.

She hastily wrapped her towel around herself and tore her hair free of the tight bun she put it in. “Alright Link, I’m coming out now! And you better have an explanation for yourself!”

When she pushed open the door, she was greeted by the sight of no less than thirty women, all glaring at Link. He was standing steadfastly in front of the door, tip of the Master Sword planted in the ground between his feet.

As Zelda exited the springs, Link turned his head slightly to face her.

“What…are…you… _thinking_?” Zelda asked vehemently. She was sorely tempted to slap him upside the head but didn’t want to make even more of a scene in front of so many people.

Instead, she opted to reach under his helmet to grab one of his ears and pull his head down to her mouth.

“You better have a good explanation later,” she whispered before letting go and apologizing profusely to the innkeeper and the other women.

They filed past them, one by one. A few of them gave Link obscene gesture, more muttered some unkind and quite simply _vitriolic_ words, but all of them glared at Link. If looks could kill, Link would have died a hundred times over.

Finally, it was just the innkeeper and Zelda outside. Link had moved from his post in front of the door to stand passively behind Zelda, which caused her ears to burn as she realized his closeness and her state of undress.

“You cost me a lot of rupees today, young lady,” the innkeeper said, waggling a finger. “You’re lucky these springs can be shared or else I would have made you pay for all the lost business.”

“Yes, I’m very sorry for my companion’s _lack of common-sense regarding gender norms_ ,” Zelda said, looking over her shoulder at Link. “He’s a bit scatter-brained like that.”

“I could tell,” the innkeeper replied, giving Link a skeptical look. “You two can stay the night but I want you two out of my inn by tomorrow morning. Do you understand?”

“Crystal,” Zelda said, nodding.

“And you!” The innkeeper turned to look at Link and shook an enraged fist in his face. “I catch you pulling this kind of trick off again in my inn, something _biblical_ is going to happen to you, you understand?”

It was almost comical, seeing the shorter matron threatening the literal knight in armor. Almost.

In response, Link simply rolled his shoulder back and adjusted his grip on the Master Sword’s hilt. He gave the innkeeper an odd gaze and the older woman blanched and shifted uncomfortably. Though he said no words, an understanding seemed to pass between them.

“Fine,” she spat. “Have it your way. Just don’t bother the rest of my customers!”

Zelda bowed her head and apologized again before she took Link’s arm with one of her hands and dragged him back to their room. Her other hand was busy holding up her towel but she knew she had done a poor job of wrapping her body with it. She could already feel a cold breeze blowing between her legs as they stopped in front of the door to her room.

“You—” she jabbed a finger in Link’s chest, “—will wait outside. Don’t you _dare_ wander off.”

It was a redundant order and they both knew it. Link would never abandon his post but he nonetheless nodded silently before taking up his trademark post by the door.

Zelda felt her face flush as she bit back a retort and slammed the door shut, and not a moment too soon. As soon as the door closed and the clicked into place, the towel fell free and Zelda was left standing naked in her room.

She looked around the room and was pleasantly surprised to see her travel pack resting on her bed. Link must have arranged for it to be placed in her room before he did…whatever he just did.

She dug around in her backpack for her nightgown and quickly brushed through her hair. When she was satisfied by her appearance, she unlocked the door and quickly dragged Link into the room with her.

He didn’t fight her, though he did make a rare sound of surprise and whirled around to face her as she slammed the door shut again.

“Are you going to explain yourself?” Zelda asked, crossing her arms. “Or are you just going to keep standing there, not talking?”

Silence.

Zelda rolled her eyes and strode away. “I can’t believe you,” she scoffed, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Of all the unthinking lackeys my father had to assign to me, why did it have to be _you_? You and that damned sword on your back! Tell me, Link, what am I to you? Some…stuck-up, rotten brat of a princess that you have to follow around because you have to? Or do you see me as something else?”

Link continued to remain defiantly silent though he did furrow his eyebrows and look down at the floorboards.

Growing more exasperated, Zelda turned towards him. “Speak, Link. _That’s an order_.”

He blinked and Zelda allowed herself to feel a small smirk of victory. Link was always so dedicated to keeping this air of silence and professionalism around her. Well, now what will he do now that her orders clashed with his quietness?

Link quickly recovered, however, and spent a few seconds working his jaw and continuing to stare at the floorboards before finally answering.

“You…are the princess. I…am the knight. It is my duty—my fate—to serve you, no matter the cost.”

“Yes, well, just because its your duty doesn’t mean you can just…waltz into the women’s area!” Zelda said. “I am a princess and you are the knight, that is correct. Tell me, Link, what do you know about noblewomen and their bathing practices?”

Link rose an eyebrow.

“You. Don’t. Follow. Them. In,” Zelda said, accentuating each word with a jab to his chest. “I don’t care if it’s my father’s orders or fate decreed it. When I bathe, you are _not_ to follow me, do you understand? Don’t stand outside either. We’re supposed to be simple travelers, remember? You know, avoiding people and trying not to make a scene? How are we supposed to remain inconspicuous when you’re following me around all the time?”

“It’s…my duty,” he replied, frowning.

Zelda sighed and rested her hands on her hips as she looked down at the floor.

“You and your duty,” she sighed. “Alright, fine. I get it. Your commitment is admirable, but you _don’t_ need to follow me around all the time. If I’m bathing, praying, or sleeping, you don’t need to hover around me, okay? Do you understand?”

Link looked at her for a moment before sighing silently and nodded.

“I want to hear the words, Link,” she prodded.

“I understand…and I apologize for my actions earlier.” He dropped to one knee. “It shall not happen again.”

“No need to be so dramatic,” Zelda said. “Just…don’t be an idiot.”

She could already feel her anger fading though it remained as this tiny, annoying nub in the back of her mind.

Link rose to his feet and nodded at her before turning and walking out the door.

“Where are you going?” Zelda asked. “Don’t you remember that most of the women staying in this inn are probably very angry at you and probably wouldn’t take kindly to seeing you?”

Link gave her a slight, half-hearted shrug as if he were saying _what of it?_

“Why…don’t you stay in here for the night?” Zelda suggested. “Plus, wouldn’t it make your job easier since you’ll know if anything tries to sneak in through the window?”

To her surprise, Link _blushed_ and shook his head. “It would be…improper,” he murmured before closing the door behind him.

Zelda stared after him, confused. “Improper?” she repeated. “What would be so…oh.”

Mortified, Zelda buried her face in her hands before diving underneath her bedsheets.

* * *

_Journal Entry #87_

_Today has been a day of many highs and many lows. For one, Daruk accepted the role of being Rudania’s pilot, which makes me ecstatic to no end. Despite his reputation and appearance, Daruk is a lot gentler than he lets on. He’ll make a fine pilot._

_Unfortunately, I was unable to oversee excavation efforts on Rudania. Apparently, the Divine Beast is buried in the very heart of Death Mountain. Even Gorons can’t withstand that amount of heat, which would have made our fireproof elixirs next to worthless._

_A shame. I spent good money on those._

_I also visited the inn’s local hot springs, though I wish I could have enjoyed it more. While the experience was sublime, the aftermath was not._

_My shadow apparently thought it was a good idea to stand outside the women’s area, which infuriated me to no end. Not only was it an invasion of privacy, but it feels so stifling. I can’t even enjoy a bath without having him hovering over me like a mother cucco!_

_His commitment is commendable, yes, but I have never felt so smothered before! It’s as if he was less of my knight and more of a jailor! I can’t go anywhere without him following me._

_I wish he was gone._

_I…also said something to him. Something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live down. I hope both of us will forget about it tomorrow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the bible doesn’t exist in Zelda but I needed another way to say “you gonna get your teeth kicked in”


	14. Chapter 14

As promised, Link and Zelda left the inn early next morning and began their journey south, towards Zora Domain. As usual, neither one of them said much to the other, though this time, it was out of embarrassment rather than stubborn bitterness.

A silent promise was made between the two of them as they rode. None of last night’s events would be talked about. Ever.

When they stopped by Inogo Bridge to camp for the night, the two of them took up their usual nightly activities. Zelda sat in her tent and perused through the Sheikah Slate while Link busied himself by preparing dinner. Tonight, Link prepared a plate of grilled bass that he had caught in the river with steamed mushrooms on the side for her while he only took a few small bites out of a piece of bread.

Zelda had tried to convince him to let her share some of her food with him, but he would always shake his head and refuse. Tonight was no different.

When Zelda finished her meal and set her mess kit off to her side, sighing contently, Link automatically picked it up and began washing the plate in the river.

“That was quite delicious. Thank you,” she said, her voice a little bit hoarse from remaining silent all day.

 _How can he be this quiet for so long?_ she wondered to herself.

Link simply nodded but continued washing her plate without turning around or looking at her.

Zelda was used to his lack of replies by now. It seemed almost surreal that they spent nearly half a month traveling alone together.

Shivering slightly from the cold, Zelda scooted closer to the fire and held her hands out towards the orange flames. Lanayru was known for being one of the colder regions of Hyrule. Zelda silently cursed herself for forgetting to bring gloves.

“We should be able to make it Zora’s Domain tomorrow before nightfall,” she said, mostly to herself. Normally, she would be scrolling through the Sheikah Slate already but the temperature was far too cold and the heat of the campfire far too tempting.

“Hopefully, they’ll allow us to stay a few extra weeks,” she continued. “The Hyrule Family has good relationships with the Zoras, so they shouldn’t be too upset at us. But then again…there are those who would object against working with outsiders.”

She grew quiet as Link finished his task and sat down on the other side of the fire. There was a pensive look on his face as he stared into the flames.

Zelda pretended to be distracted by something on the ground as she surreptitiously watched Link reach under his breastplate to bring out a necklace. It was difficult to tell in the dark, but she thought it vaguely resembled a locket with some sort of gem embedded into its silvery surface.

She was surprised to see Link wearing such expensive jewelry considering his status as a commoner. She never thought that Link would be able to afford such a luxury item, especially one that was renowned for holding such sentimental and emotional value.

As she watched him gently thumb the necklace, Zelda realized that she knew next to nothing about Link. She knew that his father was a knight, that he was obviously the Chosen Hero, that he was a proficient cook, and that he was from Hateno. Beyond those few tidbits of information though, he was a mystery to her.

She considered asking him but decided against it. Not only would it be uncouth of her to ask such personal questions, but she had no reason to. He obviously wanted to withhold that kind of information from her, and Zelda absolutely refused to stoop down to ask him about these kinds of subjects. She was prideful in that way.

Still, her curiosity persisted, and she found herself asking him, “What is your relationship with the Zoras?”

Link froze and looked up at her. For a moment, she saw a look of panic in his eyes before he gave her that same old stare. She was surprised to see him so nervous at such an innocuous question. Still, she pressed on.

Realizing she would have to be a bit more specific, Zelda elaborated, “I heard rumors back in the castle that you used to spend a lot of time in the Domain. They called you a friend of the Zoras. Would I be correct in assuming that your title still stands?”

Link nodded slowly.

“I see.” Zelda primly pursed her lips and stared into the flames.

 _Of course he has a good relationship with the Zoras,_ she thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. _What else would I expect out of him?_

Link slid the locket back inside his tunic as he prepared himself for the night watch. Zelda huffed and dusted off her pants before ducking inside her tent. Before she closed the door though, she paused to look back at Link.

“Have a good night,” she said, her words clipped.

Link’s response only came after she disappeared into her tent and extinguished the lantern inside.

“…good night, princess.”

* * *

The next day, they resumed their journey to the Domain. As they approached the Oren Bridge, Link suddenly motioned for them to stop.

Zelda slowly brought her horse to a halt as Link darted his gaze around, though he kept his head still. He had been on edge nearly the entire they rode through the Tabahl Woods.

At first, Zelda had thought that Link was simply enjoying the sights around them. The Domain and the Lanayru landscape around it were known for their beauty and serenity. Even Zelda had decided to tear her attention away from the Slate for a few hours to take in the sounds of the river rushing by them and to look at the misty gray fog swirling mischievously around them.

After a few moments, Link motioned for them to continue forward. Link’s wariness was starting to put Zelda on edge as well. She absentmindedly twisted her horse’s reins in her hands as she followed Link across the bridge. Both of them were silent as they crossed.

She noticed how Link kept a hand close to a dagger sheathed on the side of his leg. If something were to attack them, it would be faster for Link to fend them off with the smaller and easier-to-maneuver rather than using something more cumbersome.

They had just navigated across Luto’s Crossing before Link’s horse startled to toss its head and huff loudly. Link instantly dismounted and loosened the Master Sword in its sheath as he continued to look around. As he did so, he patted his horse on the neck and whispered something inaudible to it. The beast soon fell silent.

The same, however, could not be said of Zelda’s royal white stallion. Zelda tried to calm the animal the same way Link did, but the horse simply tossed its head and refused to listen.

When Link looked back at her, she gave him a helpless look and shrugged. “It’s not my fault he’s rowdy,” hissed defensively.

Link simply walked over to her horse and patted it on its neck. The animal fell silent almost instantly. Zelda felt a pang of jealousy as Link looked up at her and nodded wordlessly.

As he turned back around, he suddenly widened his eyes before narrowly deflecting an arrow away from his head with his bracer. Zelda widened her eyes as well at Link’s speed and reaction.

It was only after Link tore the Master Sword from its sheath that Zelda realized that they were under attack. Without saying a single word, Link turned back around to slap her horse on it’s rear, causing it to startle and bolt forward.

Zelda shrieked and held on for dear life as the animal thundered forward. Once she was sure she was not about to fall off from the speeding animal, she forced her eyes opened and looked back just in time to see Link’s horse fall to the ground, screaming in pain as arrows riddled its flank. Link was nowhere to be seen, however, but she could hear the sounds of battle and swords clashing against each other in the fog.

Zelda turned her gaze forward as a whisp of movement out the side of her eye caught her attention. She gasped when a lizard-like monster jumped out at her from behind a nearby bush and began barreling towards her at a breakneck speed.

Its emerald-green scales blended in almost perfectly in the surrounding shrubbery. It ogled her hungrily as it drew a forked spear back to throw it into her horse’s chest. Zelda squeezed her eyes shut as her horse came to a halt.

The blow never landed.

Her horse reared before bringing its front hooves down on the Lizalfo’s head in a crushing, terrible blow. The Lizalfo’s scales buckled under the force of the blow in a grimace-inducing _crunch_ as it crumpled silently to the ground, its neck broken.

Zelda stared down at the corpse in front of her, unsure of how to react. She had never been this close to a monster and as such, had never experienced a monster attack before.

A rustling sound behind her broke her out of her stupor, however, and Zelda spun around in her saddle just in time to see another Lizalfo peeking out from behind a tree at her, its mouth open in a gruesome and lipless smile. Zelda tried to turn her horse around but the suborn animal simply ignored her and tossed its head.

Sensing her distress, the Lizalfo rose up from its haunches and began to saunter towards her. A brightly-colored tongue slipped out from between its scaly lips as it waggled its eyes at her tauntingly.

Before it could even raise its sword over its head, however, the tip of a metal blade emerged from the Lizalfo’s chest. It looked down at the protruding metal before starting to convulse. With a bloody gurgle, it slowly keeled over and fell face-first onto the ground.

Zelda gasped when she realized that it was Link who had killed the monster. He had lost his helmet in a previous fight, letting his long warm-blonde hair fall freely to the sides of his head. There was a noticeable scratch running down his pauldron and he was breathing hard, but beyond that, he was unscratched.

“I’m fine,” Zelda said when Link raised an eyebrow and reached out towards her. She waved his hand away and pressed her own hand into her chest to control her breathing. Looking at how easily Link held the Master Sword in his hands, she couldn’t help but add, “At least I know that all those rumors of you being Hyrule’s greatest swordsman are true.”

She knew she was being ungrateful and childish, and she felt an odd twisting sensation in her gut as Link sighed silently, but she couldn’t help it.

The sound of more rustling around them caused them to spin around wildly as more Lizalfos popped out the woods around them. Link tightened his grip on the Master Sword’s hilt as Zelda’s horse skittered nervously.

They were surrounded.

“An ambush,” Zelda breathed. “They were waiting for us.”

“Princess, you have to run.”

Zelda flinched at the sound and volume of Link’s voice. Normally, he would always talk in this quiet, introspective manner. One could even call his way of speaking sleepy, but here, he spoke clearly and with clarity. Even his accent was almost unnoticeable.

“We’re surrounded, if you hadn’t noticed,” Zelda retorted, her tongue sharp even in the direst of situations. “I’ll be lucky if I last more than a minute without you protecting me.”

Link’s frown deepened and he closed his eyes to focus himself before opening them again. “Stay behind me,” he ordered.

As he adjusted his grip on the sword, the nearest Lizalfo suddenly leaped towards him. It opened its both and lashed out towards Link with its tongue.

Without blinking, he effortlessly reached out with a gauntleted hand, grabbed the slimy appendage, and pulled. Hard.

The Lizalfo’s eyes seemed to widen in surprise as it fell face-first onto the ground. Without hesitating, Link raised the Master Sword over his head with both hands and plunged it downwards, stabbing the fallen monster through its back. It thrashed once and was still.

Pulling the sword out, Link twirled it in his hand and glared at the rest of the Lizalfos, as if daring the rest of them to challenge them. Most of them looked nervously at each other and took a few steps back, but two of them hissed vehemently at Link and darted forward, weapons raised.

Link effortlessly dispatched the first one, but the second one, a blue Lizalfos nimbly jumped back as Link swung at it. Gritting his teeth, Link swung again at the monster but it simply dodged out of the way before jabbing Link in the shoulder with its tongue.

This time, Link was too slow and was unable to dodge. He winced as the tongue pierced through metal and flesh.

“Link!” Zelda called out as he stumbled and clutched at the wound.

It wasn’t very deep, and only a few Lizalfos were known to be actually poisonous, but it was painful and happened to be on his favored sword arm. While Link was mostly ambidextrous and could wield weapons with both hands equally as skillfully, the blood seeping into his gloves was causing his grip to loosen and he had to adjust his grip on the Master Sword multiple times.

The blue Lizalfos made an odd _tch-king_ in the back of its throat and Link had the feeling that it was laughing at him. His suspicion was confirmed when the rest of the Lizalfos made the same noise and began closing their circle on them.

“Link, they’re getting closer,” Zelda said nervously.

Link looked around before looking back at the princess sitting on her horse. Even in the face of danger, she still excluded an air of regalness and confidence as she looked down at him despite knowing that the two of them were in grave danger.

He took a deep breath and ignored the pain in his arm as he raised the Master Sword.

_My life for Hyrule._

The Lizalfos descended on them.


End file.
